Forever In Your Eyes
by CuriousMidnightHeart
Summary: (Co-written with SereneCalamity) Never in her wildest dream's did Clary imagine that she would ever dare rescue a human from drowning. She, Simon, and Magnus were told they were nothing but dangerous, heartless beings. It wasn't everyday Jace Herondale and his siblings met and fell in love with a mermaid or mermen thought to only exist in fairy tales. Clace, Sizzy and Malec.
1. Prologue

**Authoress Notes:** Hi guys, and welcome to my second fanfic, co-written with the fabulous SereneCalamity. We got talking one day over our love for fairy tales and decided to work on this little collab together. It's most likely going to be about six or seven chapters not really sure. We both hope you all enjoy ^_^

 **Disclaimer: We Don't Own Anything. I Do Own My OC Selene.**

 **Forever In Your Eyes**

 **Prologue**

From deep within the dark crystal waters, her bright green eyes stared up at the midnight star filled sky. The round moon shone brightly, beaming down through the thin gun-metal clouds, while the stars appeared to look like a thousand tiny diamonds embedded on its onyx surface. The sea was her home, a world of a beautiful shimmering sapphire blue. An eternal turquoise, hidden beneath the foamy waves that crashed on its surface. She loved the ocean with all her heart and soul.

She always had.

Here she was free to be herself, and be free from any kind of sadness, worry, or pain that might exist above. She loved swimming through the pretty colored coral, and gliding effortlessly through the bright green forests of seaweed which were very soft, and the various sea animals and creatures that lived and soared around and about. But the one thing she loved the most was the large, wide open space, was the endless and countless hours of exploring with her best friends. She also loved the feeling of the clear water all around her; while the ocean's current pushed her about. This was her home, and her life.

Simon Lewis and Magnus Bane meant the entire world to her, and they'd always been there and supported her when no one else in the entire kingdom had. The three of them loved and cared about each other very much. To everyone around them, they were a bunch of outcasts and misfits. The human world had always been a fascinating place to them, with its strange everyday objects and treasures. In all truth, Clarissa Morgenstern didn't feel like she truly belonged here in the ocean at all. All her life, she'd felt nothing more than out of place. Like she never truly belonged here.

Maybe it was for the best that she didn't return to the above surface, but a part of her wanted to return to Jace Herondale and never come back here. He was the exact reason she wanted to stay. From the very moment she'd laid eyes on him, she knew that she had to be with him. From her hidden space on the ship that night she gazed upon the most beautiful human being she'd ever laid eyes upon. In her heart, she would never forget that moment. For he was sitting alone on the ship's side, gazing up at the moon, his face open and earnest, a thoughtful look in his golden eyes, and his golden hair blowing in the wind.

She would've given anything to go be with him, or talk to him. The only glimpse he'd gotten of her was after she rescued him from nearly drowning and losing his life in that wretched storm that had torn through the skies and the ocean. She didn't expect him to stir. His golden eyes fluttered underneath his closed eyelids as the sun peeked through the once ominous dark storm clouds, gently resting on his face. His large hand gripped hers, as she continued to sing under her breath. His eyes opened, gazing into her's with the utmost curiosity, wonder, and kindness. A faint blush had formed on his face, pink tinting his cheeks.

The memory of the redheaded angel still haunted Jace.

Those green eyes still refused to vanish out of his mind, burnt behind his eyelids so he saw them every time he so much as blinked. Her voice was unlike anything he'd ever heard, his heart skip a beat as he had slowly opened his eyes and breathed in the salty fresh air, letting it fill his lungs. His vision had slowly came into focus, bringing hin face to face with her for the first time. His golden eyes had met a pair of green eyes. It was a beautiful melody, from which poured from her full pink lips as her emerald eyes stared down into his with a blush across her cheeks.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

"Y-You saved me," he had finally managed to sputter, the ability to speak seeming to escape him for a few minutes given his surprise at opening his eyes and seeing the gorgeous woman.

"Yes, I did," she nodded, with a small, nervous bite to her lower lip "I want more than anything to stay. But, it's forbidden."

"What do you mean forbidden?" He asked, confused.

Come home, come home child, the ocean's song beckoned her, calling for her to return, and Clary's eyes drifted over to the water that was licking at the sand of the beach they were on.

His eyes drank her in; her long, dark red hair cascaded down her shoulders in ringlets, her eyes were hidden behind long dark lashes, her lips were full, and her body was slender and petite although with hour-glass curves. What surprised him most was that her body ended in that of a green fish tail.

"You...You're a mermaid..." Jace said in disbelief. She didn't say anything else to him, before she slowly started to back away, but he reached out and grabbed her by her wrist, tugging her back to him. The moment their skin made contact it was like an electric current had suddenly passed through them.

"Please...Don't go," the prince whispered, the plea soft but desperate. The mermaid looked up at him, her eyes were wide with fear.

"I'm sorry, but I must. I'll get in trouble," she replied, once again biting nervously at her lush lower lip. Jace raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Trouble? Why would you get in trouble?"

"Because..." she let a sigh escape her lips, "Because contact between the human world and the mer-kingdom is strictly forbidden. If my father finds out..."

"I wasn't even aware that mermaids were even real. My siblings and I thought they were just a myth."

"Well, that's how it's supposed to be. Now, I really have to go.

"If contact is forbidden, then why did you even bother saving me?" Jace asked, wanting to understand.

Panic suddenly filled Clary's chest. Inside she knew that she shouldn't even be here, let alone be talking to him. This went against everything Luke had sternly warned her about. Humans were dangerous. You start communicating with them and then they wouldn't let you out of their sight. But in all honesty, she didn't want to go. She wanted to stay and to learn more about the human world from Jace. He had the ability to teach her about all kinds of things that she didn't yet know or understand.

"Because it was the right thing to do. I couldn't just leave you and your family and friends to die."

"What happened to them? We're they able to make it out as well?"

"Yes, they all managed to get to the lifeboats in time and you did as well, but you went back to save a strange gray blueish animal stranded on deck. You dove back into the water, climbed up the side of the deck and told him to jump and you were able to catch him. Just as you were about to leave, your foot got stuck and there was a large explosion and you were thrown overboard."

"Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome."

"At least tell me your name."

"Clary. My name is Clary."

"I'm Jace."

"Jace, I'm very sorry but I really have to go," she said, quickly swimming away from him.

"Wait, Clary, will you please come back?" He asked. "In the morning tomorrow? I'll be over by that cove of rocks," Jace said, pointing to the sandy beach shore. "Clary, please say you'll be there."

The redhead bit her lip, mostly out of nervousness, as she turned back to look at him. His golden eyes seemed to be pleading with hers. She wanted nothing more than to say yes, but knew the risk was too great. The voice inside of her head said no, but she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow." Jace's expression brightened at her response.

"Thank you, Clary."

"You're welcome."

She smiled, before swimming back out into deeper water, taking one last look at Jace she waved before disappearing below the waves.


	2. Chapter One

**Authoress Notes:** Sorry it took so long to post this, life got in the way and people can sometimes drive you up the wall for real. By the Angel Raziel, I swear if my job calls me in a on day that I have off, I swear...Oh we have some review replies. Thank you everyone who reviewed on the first chapter, it really means alot to us both. Updating will be totally random, mostly because we both don't know our work schedules.

 **Clacelover246: Thank you ^_^ Really happy you like it, and there's alot more to come.**

 **Guest: Thank you :) Different is a good thing right lol?**

 **Guest: Thank you ^_^**

 **Guest: Thank you XD it's all good. Yeah, some of us can be too lazy at times.**

 **carebearsmiles: Thank you :) It's one of the best fairytales out there, minus the sad ending T_T**

 **SereneCalamity: Thank you ^_^ You're good girl lol, I'm happy we both finally got it done.**

 **Disclaimer: We Do Not Own Anything. I Own My OC Selene.**

Morning had just begun to break over the once dark horizon in Idris, slowly awakening the world from its previous earlier dark of night. As the sun slowly rose over the city in the distance, the sky was painted in pretty shades of red, gold, and pink. The once cold, briskness air was now replaced with a much warmer temperature. Birds could be heard chirping from inside the small bushes and tall tree's, they were out of view and hidden quite well.

Idris, also known as the Shadowhunter homeland, located between Germany, France, and just on the border of Switzerland, was surrounded by large blue mountains capped with snow and lush, green forests. For it was a hidden sanctuary. From mostly mundane eyes. Many shadowhunters were born and raised in this land, and were trained there. Demon wards had been placed all around Alicante, it's only capital city, and it's outskirts, which provided protection by forming a hidden barrier. Any mundane who attempted to cross into it were instantly transported right back to where they came from.

Ever since the dawn of time, and mankind's first appearance on earth there had been countless and endless tales of the mythical and fascinating creatures which proved a great threat to human life and their very existence. There were beings that lived and lurked in the wild to track, hunt them down and devour them. Brocleind Forest was a large, thick forest located near Alicante, there were creatures such as chimera's, banshee's, basilisk's, black dogs, bears, and centaurs who inhabited its unknown terrain.

Werewolves and vampires also inhabited the forest, for they'd been bitter enemies from the beginning of time. Brocelind Forest was known to house several downworlder clans. There was also the realm of the dead where demons, ghosts, huge three-headed dogs roamed, and they were hidden right among society.

Demons—also known as dangerous, malevolent inter-dimensional beings with the ability to travel between worlds, whether of the living or dead, destroying everything which lay in their path. After they're completely destroyed on Earth or any other place, they return right to their home dimension also known as the Void.

And last, but not least, there were the beautiful and mysterious mermaids and mermen whom sang to sailors with their heavenly voices or by using their other gifts and talents to crash the man built ships on the rocks, leading them right to a watery grave. Of course, there was no real proof or shred of evidence that they existed. To humans, a mermaid or merman was nothing more than a mere fantasy.

Mermaids and mermen are mythical creatures which only merely exist in fairy tales, myths, and children's stories. A kiss from a mermaid or merman was one of the most powerful things in the entire world. Once they bonded to someone, the love between them never ever faded. Legends of these amazing creatures had been told in many different kinds of stories passed down from different generations. Some people said that they were the sirens of the sea with beautiful singing voices, that no earthly music could imitate. A real sailor might tell you differently. Men have searched endlessly for these amazing creatures, but not so many have succeeded.

The legend according to the books, says that a kiss from a mermaid or merman had the ability to grant almost any wish that a person desires most front the heart. Anything they could imagine, from love, riches, glory, and power. But there's a little catch: they mustn't be wicked or greedy because a sea creature knows if they are indeed pure of heart or not. Mostly by looking right into a mortal's eyes; they can feel from the inside if they are truly worthy of such a gift which they may bestow upon them.

Mermaids and Mermen as they appear in different cultural mythologies. Each different story explaining their abilities in a different way. Some sailors might tell you they are cruel sirens who love to lure people to their watery graves, but that is far from the truth. A true real sailor, one whom has sailed the seven seas and experienced things no other man has seen before will tell the tale quite differently. Many have claimed to have seen one of the mer-people; some have even claimed they've captured one in their fishing nets while on the high sea's.

For a mermaid or a mermen are the only creatures who are able to see between worlds; the sunny, bright warm land of mortals above and the cool, comforting crystal depths of the ocean below. Most of their kind rather prefer to stay discreet, far, far away from the prying eyes of humans, but there was one young mermaid and her friends, in particular, whom each desired something different. This is the story of that mermaid, Clary, and her two best friends mermen Simon Lewis and Magnus Bane.

This story is their own, along with that of their siblings, and for the prince, Jace, whom saw her and fell in love with her, and she with him. For when she saved him from nearly almost drowning. The very moment Simon looked into Isabelle's eyes, he was instantly in love. She was a version of Snow White brought to life. Isabelle had never seen such a handsome guy in front of her. The second Alec looked deeply into Magnus's eyes, he felt as if his breath was taken away. As did the merman warlock. For he'd never seen such beautiful blue eyes like Alec's.

Our story begins on a beautiful cloudless day.

The sun had all ready risen in the bright blue sky, as it's rays reflected across the dark crystal waters, which glistened like a thousand tiny diamonds. A warm breeze floated across the land, for the sea was friendly, reflecting the warm sunshine right back. Seagulls flew over the skies of Idris, as a school of dolphins jumped in and out of the waters, acting playfully, and happy. They twirled in the air, showing off, before diving back down into the ocean's deep depths. A few of the birds swooped along the water's surface, calling out to the dolphins, while some of them landed in the water, and began talking to one another.

At first glance, it was a rather very dreary and dull day, right out in the middle of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, but soon the sun started to shine down through between the tiny gaps in the dismal white clouds, as the dolphins continued to chat with their friends. They didn't seem to mind the bird's presence; for they felt at home and comfortable with one another. But right before they could finish their 'conversation', a ship suddenly broke through the early morning causing the seagulls to immediately scatter like the wind.

On the far shore stood a beautiful royal palace, which belonged to the dolphin's immediately vanished underwater, only to emerge a second later. Two sets of curious eyes watched the ship from afar, from beneath the waves themselves. However, as the ship continued to move, they all re-emerged (they all emerged? Do you mean the two sets? 'They all' sounds like a lot more than two), and continued to watch it sail away. The ship itself made large waves, churning against the tide, in the clear, beautiful waters.

The crew on board were hoisting the sails, as a large net was cast over the right side, retrieving a large amount of various colored and types of fish. They were singing too, and their voices carried out over the side's and into the waters. One of the white sail's rose up into the air, revealing a wooden carving of the Angel Raziel on the front of the ship as it was adorned in elegant robes. His wings stretched out for towards the sky, as he held a sword and a cup in each hand.

These objects indicated were the Mortal Instruments.

Meanwhile a man with black hair was bent over the side, doubled over emptying his stomach out into the waves. Alec Lightwood was a tall, beautiful youth of nineteen with jet black hair, a muscular build, and light beige covered skin. Sweat glistened on his forehead, as he slowly got back up to the deck.

He was one of the prince's of the kingdom of Idris, his hand clutched at one of the ropes which was attached to the ships upper mast, as he leaned against the dark brown banister in front of him. He wore a simple dark blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black boots. Alec was very kind, caring and compassionate. But also very shy and reserved at times. He often didn't open his mouth to speak. But he would only voice his opinion on a matter which he felt was particularly important. He was very loyal to his friends and family, and would always do the right thing.

"Alec, are you alright?" A voice asked from behind him. He looked up to see a girl with long black hair tied up into a bun, a few strands loose. Isabelle was his younger sister, she appeared to be about eighteen years old. Her dark brown eyes were lined with strong black eyeliner, hidden behind long black lashes, her full lips were dark red. She wore a pink and blue summer dress with several rose flowers printed on the collar, and butterflies designed into the fabric with a thin layer of white and purple lace covering the waistline, a silver snake bracelet wound itself around her wrist, and she wore a pair of pink stiletto heels, which completed her look.

She had a great sense of style, and was always researching and after the latest fashion or make-up trends. Isabelle was slightly more outgoing, and definitely a bit more promiscuous. Inside she was tad bit of a narcissist, and had tendency to throw temper tantrums. But like her brother, she was very loyal to her friends and family. She had a slight temper; which often caused her to loose her cool.

"Yeah Iz, I'm fine," he replied, lifting his head and trying to look at her. His skin was still slightly tinged green. He'd tried to sound more reassuring to her, but of course that failed, not working at all and then promptly bent back over the ships side once more. She rolled her eyes, while crossing both of her arms over her chest.

"You don't sound fine," his sister stated, before retrieving a small vial of a blue liquid from her dress pocket.

"Here, this should help you feel better," holding it out towards him. Alec's eyes widened as he took the glass from her. He looked at the liquid, eyeing it suspiciously.

"What exactly is it?" He asked.

"It's a stomach remedy. Hodge found it in the Gray Book." He raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Are you sure it's not one of your attempts to poison me again?"

"By the Angel, Alec, I know I'm not the best at cooking, and I've gotten myself into a few not so pleasant situations, but you know I would never attempt to poison you, Max, or Jace," she said with an exasperated look.

"Okay, okay, geez, calm down Iz, you know I was kidding," he replied, before slowly drinking the vial's contents, and turned back to his sister.

"At least Jace and Max are having fun on this stupid trip that Mom and Dad made us go on," Izzy grumbled.

"Speaking of which, where are they anyway?" Alec asked.

"Not a clue. They must've run off again."

"Most likely they're up to mischief again," one of the crew members spoke up from where he was working nearby.

"Someone really needs to put a binding rune on those two," Alec mumbled.

"I swear, Alec, one of these day's Jace is really going to get Max hurt. They never listen to anything that Mom or Dad or we say, and they're always causing trouble. Jace with that snarky attitude of his. You know Max idolizes him Alec," Izzy said.

Her brother nodded, "Yeah, he practically follows him around like a lost puppy dog, nearly all the time."

"You mean like when Jace see's a hot girl and immediately goes after her."

"Yep, that's so him."

All of sudden, carefree laughter rang above them. They both looked up to see two figures, one tall and one short playing in the crow's nest. Jace's blonde hair flashed in the bright sunlight, while a flash of Max's dark black hair streaked by. The older shadowhunter was fighting with Max who was ten years old, with two pretend wooden swords. His golden eyes were full of amusement, while Max's were full of excitement. They climbed down the rope ladder connected to the nest, finally coming down to the deck.

"There you two are! Jace, Max, where in the hell have you two been? You know better than to run off without telling anyone!" Izzy cried out.

"Mom and Dad put us in charge of watching over you both, and what would happen if one of you got hurt?" Alec added, chastising them.

Jace rolled his golden eyes, "You two worry too much. We were just playing around. It's not like I was going to fall down from the nest and break my neck or something. Mom and Dad wouldn't yell at you guys for something that was my fault. I was teaching Max here how to fight properly, right, buddy?" he asked, placing his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, while grinning proudly.

Jace Herondale appeared to be about 19 years old, with long golden blonde hair that fell past his shoulders, curling at the ends. He had a lean, but muscular build, and his face was long and angular, with full lips. His eyes were a golden amber color. He was very independent, and was seen as very sarcastic, arrogant, and self-centered. He truly believed that he was the best shadowhunter to ever live. He wore a light gray t-shirt, a black leather jacket, skinny black jeans, and black sneakers.

But deep down, he really cared about his family and friends, even though sometimes he refused to admit it, and would always do the right no matter how tough a situation was.

"Yeah, Jace was just showing me a couple of killer moves on how to take out a few demons. It was so cool!" Max grinned widely.

"But we're prince's and Iz's a princess, royalty doesn't do that kind of stuff. It's not proper," Alec replied, tight lipped.

"Alec's right, after all we're supposed to be looking out for one another, not getting hurt and into trouble or mischief. You both need to careful."

Max giggled, "Whatever you say big sister!" He said, before Jace ran up towards the front of the ship with Max following him.

"Isn't this great, you guys? The sun, with that fresh, salty sea air, the beautiful endless ocean, and the wind blowing in our faces?" He called over his shoulder, before taking a hold of the rope, while closing his eyes for a mere second, letting the wind caress his face.

Beside him, Church, a fluffy large cat with blueish-gray fur, yellow eyes, and a slightly squished in face, placed his paws up onto the banister and meowed in response to the siblings and Axel a golden retriever and chocolate lab mix barked in agreement, the wind billowing through their shiny coats.

"I agree, Jace—it's a perfect day to be at sea!" Max added, before they turned to see Alexander Velrac who was doubled over the side now as well. His pale skin was flushed slightly green.

"Oh yes, your majesties, how perfectly delightful," he said wryly, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, while raising his head to glare at the siblings, and before long, felt another wave of nausea come over him.

"The wind is surely strong today, and the sea herself is being nice for a change," said another sailor, who was tending to a rope on the mast, which Jace ran over to help with him.

"Oh, come on lass," a voice said from behind all of them. They turned to see Hodge Starkweather, the captain standing just a few feet away, his gray eyes filled with amusement. "You honestly think that we would let any sort of harm even come to one of our prince's did ya?"

"It's not like one of us going to toss Jace overboard for misbehaving," Jordan Kyle, one of the other crew members, added with a wry grin.

Isabelle glared at both of them. "You better not," she retorted.

"Or our parents will gladly have you arrested for treason and handed over to the Clave, and then stripped of your marks," Alec replied, his voice bordering on smiles almost immediately left Jordan and Hodge's faces.

"We were just joking, of course no harm will come to any of you," the tall boy said quickly.

"If any of you even went overboard, seeing how King Lucian is in such a great mood, I doubt he'd let any of you drown," Hodge said.

"King Lucian? Who is he?" Jace asked.

"Why, the ruler of the mer-people my young friend," said another sailor with a dark red beard, as he reached into a net of fish they'd just caught and tossed them by one by one into a barrel, before Jace, Alec, Max, and Isabelle turned their attention to him.

"I thought all shadowhunters and downworlders knew about him," Jordan said.

Izzy raised an eyebrow, "Mer-people? There's no such thing. We have books almost on almost every subject in the library back home, and there's not one shred of evidence to back up your claims."

"Exactly, Princess, don't listen to these fool's stupid nonsense," said Axel as he straightened out his shirt.

"Oh yes there is, my grandfather saw one with his own two eyes," Hodge insisted.

"Really? That's so cool!" Max said.

"Wow, that does sound cool," Jace agreed.

"Aye, my young friends, it was a long time ago you see. He was just a poor fishermen; on his boat one day trying to make a living just like everyone. He was attempting to catch some fish in order to sell at the market, but his net kept coming up empty. The next thing he knew, there was a cry for help on the left side of the boat. He looked down and saw what appeared to be a young woman with fiery red hair and green eyes trapped inside the net."

"As he got closer, the sight before him amazed him. For where two legs would've been was a tail, the color of a red lotus on the most beautiful sunset. My grandfather noticed that there was large cut on her fin, and she told him it was from a horde of pirates who had tried to capture her earlier that day. He released her and even helped to bandage up her wound, she thanked him and asked if there was any way she could reward him. For looking into his eyes, she could tell that he was pure of heart and good. According to legend, a kiss from a merman or mermaid has the ability to grant any wish from a person's heart."

"He told her that there was no need, and told her to be on her way. The very next morning, he found a box which rested at the foot of the ship's edge, and inside was a collection of jewels. Enough for him to buy a grand ship. And I can bet it's the same mermaid whom he saved too, that she placed the bag of jewels there so that my grandfather could pass this ship onto us."

"Wow, what an amazing story," Izzy said, her dark brown eyes shining with happiness.

"Your grandfather sounds like a great man for what he did," Alec added.

"Yeah. I want to meet a mermaid," Jace stated.

"Of course, you only want to meet one so that you can use them to get what you want," his parabatai said with a knowing twist of his lips.

"So it works out to your advantage," Izzy added with a pointed raise of her eyebrows.

"I do not!" The blonde retorted.

"That was a touching story, not that it matters really. But with all due respect, my dear captain, you shouldn't be filling these poor royals head's with lies," Axel rolled his eyes. Hodge's eyes immediately filled with anger, as he walked up to Axel with a fish in his hand, holding it close to the man's nose.

"It ain't nonsense, you idiot, it's the truth. Why would I make up a tall tale about something like that?"

"Because you're an old fool," he stated. They continued to bicker and argue over the next couple of seconds, before the fish in Hodge's hand became loose and was able to escape his grasp, and jumped back into the ocean. Jace, Alec, and Izzy retreated to the upper part of the deck and spent the rest of the afternoon hatching a plan to catch one of the sea creatures. Max played with Church and Ash.

The underwater kingdom below the dark waves was a beautiful place. It was bright near the surface that morning, with the sun's gentle golden rays shining through, right down to the ocean floor. Those dark depths in particular shone brightly (how are dark depths shining brightly?), with their own shadowed cool to the touch radiance, and perhaps were more inviting and welcoming. Various multicolored coral in different shapes and formations added a nice touch and unique designs to the very still, sandy floor, as well as the various sea life of all shapes and sizes.

Fish darted and in out of their coral homes. At further glance, some were round and colorful, while the others were more sleek and a lightly colored silver or white. Every so often, a shark, dolphin, or other sea creature looking for its next target which would later become its meal would swim through. But there wasn't any kind of disturbance in the peace. While the natural ocean life itself was quite boring, tranquil and stupid, but on this happy sunny day, life in the mer-kingdom of Atlantis seemed far from unhappy or boring.

Atlantis itself was a glorious and beautiful underwater kingdom, designed and built with the utmost of beauty. Tiny but quaint looking little houses lined the sandy landscape, some of them made up of kinds of coral and marble, that sparkled in the sunlight. With a lot of hard work, the coral itself was smoothed and elegantly fashioned into little small homes, some of which were square and some round, with large open windows to let in the view. The marketplace itself was a large square, with many stalls of all sizes lining the streets, selling all kinds of different goods from medical sea plants, to the most expensive luxurious jewelry. But perhaps the most striking and beautiful establishment in the city was the grand palace which rested on the horizon. It overlooked the houses and city like a strong safe guardian.

The castle was all in awe-inspiring itself, surrounded by tall walls of shimmering marble. There were no gates to close it off. The peaceful king, Lucian 'Luke' Graymark, believed strongly that his people should feel welcome when they needed to consult him and his queen, Jocelyn Fairchild-Graymark. The building itself was a magnificent structure, a large oval shape, with many arches and small windows. There was a large stone marble arch way connected to a small square tower, and a few rounded rooftops and rooms with the same design on the top were scattered about. Golden coral shimmered, adding a nice touch to the castle, making it seem from afar that the walls were connected.

At the end of a large courtyard, which had tall marble pillars, were the large doors which served as the palace's entrance. These gates were a beautiful turquoise color, decorated with designs as if they'd come from Idris itself. In fact, the entire ocean city looked like an underwater version of Idris. This was because of the mer-people used a lot of the magic and spells which were discovered in the caves and trenches, and because of the shadowhunter's rich history, they'd discovered a unique fondness for its architecture. Many of the Nephilim's shared and loved this these idea's, and were very fond of it, but there were those who did not. That estranged, but small minority lived in the very outskirts of Atlantis, in a dark shadowed part of the sea, where no mermaid, merman, or sea creature ever dared to set foot, an exiled former shadowhunter, a sorceress, and their followers lived.

It was mostly in a place where everyone who was banished there believed that Atlantis should go back to how it was during the dark ages also known as The Uprising. Back then, the great city was a land wrought by destruction and tranquility, and war. A place where the Greatest Demons and creatures of darkness ever to roam and walk the earth, but were stopped and sealed away by the Shadowhunters and Downworlders.

Many of the citizens' of Atlantis urged for that part of the kingdom to be eliminated and destroyed, but Lucian and Jocelyn refused to do that. They, along with the members of the court, believed each world and side could co-exist side by side in peace, without any problems standing in their way.

Currently the city street's themselves were bustling with excitement. Many mer-people were decorating and purchasing gifts, food, and other things for the Crown Princess's Clary's birthday. Laughter, chatter, happiness, and gossip filled the marketplace, where many of the citizen's were browsing and shopping, and merchants and customers alike haggled for great prices. The streets were alive with the various colors of hair and fins of the Nephelium Atlantean's, or as the human's above knew them as the mer-people of the sea. Golden sunlight shone through the waters, as the city bustled with excitement for the special event that very day: The long-awaited eighteenth birthday of the Crown Princess Clarissa 'Clary' Fairchild.

It's known and said in Atlantis when a mermaid or merman comes of age, and turns eighteen it means they've finally come of age and are officially ready to enter society. It also symbolized their very first visit to the world above the ocean waters. For a mermaid or merman, whether they were royal or not, it they would finally be able to see the human world with their very own eyes. Not many of the mer-people liked the human realms, they much preferred living underneath the cool, waves because it beat sitting in the hot burning sun all day. Even within the palace walls, the royal member's of the family and their servants were hard at work preparing for the grand celebration which would take place that very afternoon.

By the royal palace gates, a young mermen was busy hanging green and lavender colored seaweed and small pearly lights along the palace's walls, and some Japanese style lanterns which burned softly with an orange light. These decorations in particular were to welcome the many guests into the palace for the celebration, which would consist of a musical concert and a large banquet to follow soon afterward.

Magnus Bane was the high Warlock Of Atlantis, and known for throwing very lavish, expensive parties which were the talk of the kingdom. He appeared to be of Asian descent with dark black hair styled nicely, dark brown eyes, and a heart-shaped face. He had a lean, but muscular body. His eyes were lined with a strong black eyeliner. He was very fond of glitter and wore it with almost everythig.

His tail was a beautiful dark lavender color, with blends of red and black streaks running along the sides, and his ends were a lighter shade of purple. Each and every mermaid and merman's tails were different and designed differently from birth it was decided what it would be.

He quickly finished up the decorating, and swam back towards the palace where a throng of mer-people were beginning to enter the palace, through the doors and swimming for the large ballroom. Mer-people of all ages, shapes and size had settled into the marble benches, as a row of trumpet fish slowly lined up, playing the music which would announce the king and queen's grand entrance. The trumpets let out a loud, but pleasant sound, before a small yellow and golden-colored seahorse wearing a sash around his neck with the royal family seal sewn onto it, appeared, clearing his throat.

"Announcing their royal highness's, King Lucian, and his beautiful wife, our lovely Queen Jocelyn!" He announced proudly. From a small opening in the ballroom, a golden seashell carriage appeared, pulled by two dolphins, with the king and queen themselves. Luke was a handsome merman with dark brown uneven looking long hair, and dark grey eyes. He had a very muscular build, and his tail was a dark onyx color, with gold and brown flecks designed into it. In his hand, he held a black and gold trident.

Jocelyn was a young woman with a slim, willowy type figure, narrow hips and an hourglass figure. Her eyes were a pretty green color hidden behind dark lashes, and very defined, sharp features. Her tail was a pretty dark red-rose color, with shimmering scales, and her fin fanned out like the red lotus flower on a beautiful sunset. The crowd cheered for their king and queen, as Luke pointed the trident he held in his hand towards the ceiling and made fireworks burst in colourful explosions and a crystal chandelier, which made them cheer even more.

"And presenting the court's very own talented, excellent in his class court composer, his royal highness Jonathan!" A smaller seashell carriage came into view, in it was the young crown prince himself. Jonathan had a platinum colored blonde hair, and was tall and muscular, with a pale face, with very high cheekbones. His eyes were a beautiful dark green color, just like his mother's. His tail was a dark red color, with black and red streaks, and the ending fins a combination color of both.

"I've have been really looking forward to this performance from the girls," Luke murmured to his wife and son, as he and his wife settled into their chairs in the balcony view on the far side of the room.

"I have been too, the girls have worked so hard," Jocelyn added with a smile.

"Yes, Father, this will be the greatest concert you've ever allowed me to work on. My sister's will be amazing!" Jon said. Luke smiled.

"Oh yes of course, especially our little Clary," he replied.

"Ah yes, she has the most beautiful voice in the whole kingdom," Jonathan said, as he swam towards the front of the stage. "Yet, if only she'd bothered to show up for rehearsal once in a while," he mumbled underneath his breath.

The concert started just a few minutes later, as lively music filled the room. The five royal mermaid sisters; Tessa, Camille, Selene, and Lydia appeared from within the large shells. They sang their parts perfectly, and in tune, twirling, dancing, and moving their bodies in sync to the music. Soon another shell began to rise from the very center, as the music built up in tempo. Luke and Jocelyn smiled happily, as Jonathan looked back to grin at them.

The shell itself slowly began to open, as the sister's gathered around it, singing happily, raising their hands towards the shell, opening their eyes, before gasping in horror. The shell was empty and Clary was nowhere to be seen. Luke's happy expression all of a sudden faded, as Jonathan too gasped, he held up his hands to his mouth, and glanced back towards his father. Rage and anger began to slowly build up inside him; as his body and trident began to glow an ominous red color.

 _"CLARISSA!_ "

"Where in the world could she be?" Jocelyn asked, her green eyes swirled with immediate worry.

"Your majesty, I was informed by one of the palace guards that they went to explore the graveyard of ships," one of the seashorses said.

The expression on Luke's face went from angry to worried, "Go find them Magnus, and bring them back. I'll take care of this when you return," he said.

Magnus placed his hand on her shoulder, "We'll find them Jocelyn, I promise," he said.

"Please do, she's my baby, and I don't want to see her or our other children get hurt," Jocelyn added.

Luke nodded, "Neither do I Jocelyn," he said.

"Come on, we'll go look for them," Catarina added.

"We will, your highness's," Magnus said, and they set off to find his friends with his long time friends a fellow warlock accompanying him.


	3. Chapter Two

**Authoress Notes:** We meant to update this sooner, but things have been so crazy and busy. I threw my back out from overusing it and it really hurt, so I had miss work for two days. I saw Inifinity War and it broke me so much T_T Thank you all so much for the reviews, they all make our day so much ^_^ I edited this chapter myself.

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 **Disclaimer: We Own Nothing. I Do Own My OC Selene.**

 _'Seriously why in the Angel would those two wander off to the graveyard of ships? The place itself is dangerous enough, and yet they still don't listen,'_ Magnus's thoughts were restless as he swam against the strong current. The ocean itself was peaceful this morning, as his brown eyes looked around nervously, for any sign of Clary or Simon. However, on the contrary, his best friends were known to sneak off without telling anyone their exact whereabouts.

Catarina followed closely behind him. The young mermaid's eyes were on the sharp lookout for the princess and her best friend. The graveyard of ships was one of the most dangerous places in Atlantis. Sharks and other deadly creatures often roamed there day and night, many of them patrolling the area, searching for their next meal. He darted in and out of a couple of caves, sighing in frustration. Catarina knew he couldn't stand to see Clary or Simon in any kind of danger.

The warlock let a huge sigh escape his lips, as he continued his anxious swim until they finally reached the very first destination. Adjacent and below to them was a large underwater chasm, filled with towering columns of green and blue coral, and various oddly shaped stones. The stones themselves, leaned on each other a few of them chiseled with large enough openings that led off into various other oceanic passageways. Multicolored fish swam by entering the tiny holes in the rock that most sea creatures hence couldn't quite fit into.

What most didn't know about this place was that it was the sight of Clary's secret hideaway. "The Grotto," as she called it, was an underwater cave constructed from a particularly large mountain of rock and stones. A large boulder rested in front of the hole which led to the entrance inside. Clary had craved a small rune into the smooth stone with her friend's help, it was nearly almost invisible to the naked eye. They'd done this to set it apart from the other stones, which supported the entrance.

Magnus's brown eyes darted nervously over his friend's secret hideout. The light from the sun above shone through the bright, clear crystal waters creating small little sparkles upon the stone's gray smooth surface. Magnus smiled and swan over towards the grotto. His tan fingers ran over the smooth surface until they finally, at last, brushed against the rune Nephelium symbol. Catarina swan over to the other side, as they each grasped the large object in their hands.

Grunting with effort, they began to pull it open. A very small shift of his tan wrists alerted Magnus almost to the place in which his hands were in. His gaze drifted lazily up to where Catarina's limbs stayed attached to the part just above his head. Her long slender fingers gripped it with all of her strength. He swallowed carefully and dryly, his mouth tasting somewhat bitter and a tad bit sour. Perhaps it was the amount of wine he'd consumed that morning. His tongue attempted to at try to least moisten his dry, chapped lips. He felt a small rush of adrenaline wash over him, as he and Catarina pulled and tugged on the large stone, until it finally went backward, giving them just enough room so that he could squeeze his muscular figure inside.

A thin amount of light shone through a small opening near the top of the Grotto's ceiling, as it illuminated the strange and unique objects within. This just so happened to be Clary's collection of things from the human world. Among her collection were pointy objects, shiny small and big bobbles, and things that many mer-people would consider grotesque all sat upon their shelves, some of them sparkled in the morning sunlight, but there was no sign of Clary or Simon.

The young merman heaved a heavy breath of defeat and he and Catarina squeezed themselves out of the grotto, careful to close the door behind them. Only, he, Clary, Simon, and Catarina knew about this place, so they were always careful to keep its secrecy. He, Catarina, Chairman Meow, and Anubis took off into the water. Magnus beat his tail rapidly against the current, increasing his speed to the hilt, as he moved through the water. That was it and the answer to their question. The only other place Clary and Simon would've gone was the graveyard of ships. The warlock did not want to go there, for it was the most perilous place in which Luke had forbidden and warned many mer-people to ever visit, but he did want to see if his friends were safe.

"I hope to the Angel that they weren't eaten because those sharks wouldn't have one satisfying tasty snack," Catarina said.

She was worried about them as well, even though sometimes she would never admit it. Magnus rolled his eyes. Mer-people themselves often were strong and fearless.

"Come on Catarina, will you stop it already? No shark is going to eat them," he replied, gesturing right towards the crystal waters before they began swimming again.

The pathway to the graveyard was long and terrifying. They swam past volcano's, boiling whirlpools, and strange plants and eels that glowed different colors in the darkness. The whirlpools threatened to suck Magnus and Catarina into a place where nightmares were born. It was a disgusting wasteland, that seemed to drag on forever. Skeletons of drowned sailors stood out in the darkness, half buried in the dark yellow sand.

Sure enough ahead loomed a large collection of sunken ships from many centuries. Many of them torn apart, broken into pieces by violent storms that ravaged the human world. A strange dark purple haze clouded the graveyard. Magnus let out a huff mostly out of frustration, which escaped his lips. He and Catarina had been swimming, and traveling for what seemed and felt like hours. For that reason, now they'd found themselves in a very, dark and rather looking scary place. He'd watched as the ocean side scenery around them suddenly changed.

Everything adjacent to them had all of a sudden morphed into much deeper, darker, shaded water ones. The tree's and many plants around them nearly had almost no leaves covering their thin, scraggly branches. Each of them upon further inspection, they discovered looked like twisted and grotesque once bright blue crystal above them had suddenly turned dark, and quite murky, the air around them was strangely quiet.

It hung with a very unnerving and uneasy silence. The darkness had formed into a thick mist, that seemed to wash over and dissipate everything in its path. A strange purple almost blackish looking haze making it seem so much eerier and scarier. Not even a single trace of sunlight could penetrate the shadowy land.

Magnus squeezed through the rotting boards of a centuries-old ship, grunting as he pulled himself free. The entire ship creaked sounding so eerily loud in the almost tangible silence of this graveyard of vessels. The place...seemed to radiate with an essence darkness and oppression all its own. The waters were much colder, and Catarina found herself pressing closer to Magnus for warmth.

The young warlock's eyes narrowed, as he squinted trying to see through the shadowed waters. His swimming immediately halted, not because he was scared or afraid that because the waters actually felt heavier here; mostly in this particular place. He began to wonder if it was just his imagination or if this was place was indeed very really dark and dangerous as in the horror tale in which many of the mer-people told.

Finally, the youth's eyes adjusted to the dim atmosphere, and he immediately wished that he hadn't. Gazing around the dusky ocean floor he saw skeletons of every kind. Fish, sharks, and human. All of their remains were present, along with the former shells of smaller ships. One of the human skeletons was grasping the side of a small ship, it's long, thin, gangly fingers rigid with desperation as if it was trying to escape from something.

Looking around, Magnus felt the fear building up within him. He continued to move slowly forward and yelped when he bumped into something hard and soft. Whoever or whatever the thing he bumped into, it's response was that of a scream, and realized it was only Catarina. He chuckled underneath his breath, he grabbed her arm and looped it through his, hugging her close.

"I don't like this place, Magnus," Catarina whispered against his shoulder. He nodded in response, taking one last look at their surroundings...the murky waters...the dusky haze...the ghastly skeletons...the frigid oppressive feelings that now dwelled within them and Catarina realized that with just a bit of humor, that she could figure out what his best friends were saying now.

"Wow, Simon..." she muttered to herself, in a somewhat mocking tone of Clary's voice. "This place is..."

"So amazingly awesome!" Clary beamed, her green eyes looking around the dismal, scary graveyard. This place while it was dark and grotesque, was so different and exciting compared to the boring, safe and mundane walls of the palace. Her hair was a pretty dark red color, which cascaded down her shoulders into ringlets right to the middle of her back, her green eyes were hidden behind long dark lashes, her lips full, her skin was a light ivory color, and her body was slender and petite with an hour-glass figure. Green eyes the colors of emeralds gleamed brightly in the murky darkness. Her tail was a light green color, shimmering scales of emerald gleamed, and the ends were a pretty light green. Over her arm draped a brown sack.

Her eyes were wide with excitement as she looked at the newest addition to the sunken shipyard. Clary's fingers rested against the smooth surface of a mast, as her hair floated around her, like crimson fire. She was especially excited to explore the new ship. According to one of her sister's, it'd been stuck in a monster storm two nights before and had just recently sunk.

"Clary wait for me!" a voice called from behind her. Clary's expression immediately changed, as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Come on Simon, you slowpoke, hurry up!" she said, gesturing a hand in the dark waters. Simon finally caught up to her, as he joined her by the ship's mast. "I'm not a slowpoke, you are aware that I can't merely swim as fast as you," he said. "I know, I was kidding, isn't this place awesome? Look there it is. Isn't it wonderful?" she said, pointing towards the dark water.

Simon looked in the direction that she was pointing, and his breath nearly almost caught in his throat. Through the dark waters, a tiny ray of light shone in through the thin foam surface, as it came to rest upon the ship. It's once dark shape was now illuminated like a thousand tiny candles glowing brightly.

"Yeah you definitely got that right," her best friend agreed. Although he never thought much of it, the young merman was exceedingly handsome. He had a slim yet muscular body a little gangly, dark brown hair that was a little messy from not brushing it that morning, and was sticking up slightly in a few different directions. His eyes were a deep brown color, and his skin was a beige color. He looked exactly like his mother, except his eyes, and he had a gentle, soft-spoken voice. Black glasses covered his eyes, and his tail was blue, with flecks of red and gold embedded into the scales. The ending fins were a sapphire blue.

Clary had a sweet, but sarcastic demeanor which often concealed her true kindness. Like her mother, she was incredibly stubborn, brave, and a little reckless at times, but inside she was very caring and a compassionate person who cared deeply for her friends and family. While she didn't let any of this go to her head, she was very skilled in art and fighting. She was a very sweet and caring friend to Simon who saw her as a sister, and he saw her like a brother.

Simon was very smart, intelligent, and talented, especially with music. He always found humor in almost any situation, and often resorted to jokes in trying to lighten the mood when he was nervous or in a tense, hectic situation, or making a reference to something. He was often talkative when he was nervous or scared. He was an awesome friend to Clary and they had a great relationship with Magnus as well.

As in most tales, merpeople were equipped and gifted with all kinds of unique and powerful magic, most of it hailing from the Angel Raziel himself. One of their many abilities was that they were able to use a stele to draw runes and use them just like the shadowhunters on land. They also possessed superhuman strength, they were slightly stronger than some humans, and most of it resided in their tails. Because they were part fish, they were able to breathe underwater for long periods of time.

As a merman or mermaid grew older, their abilities to withstand attacks from a demon or any foe grew stronger, and they were able to use runes that were stronger and more powerful. Clary, Simon, and Magnus were always hungry for adventure. Adventure and danger... The three of them constantly their friends and family with their lack of safety, or regard of, but it was just as much a part of them as their fins and scales were.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she asked, beaming with pride. Simon pretended to smile, and be impressed with her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, of course, it's great. Now can we please get out of here?" he asked, before darting to swim away, but Clary rolled her eyes caught him by the arm.

"You're seriously not getting cold fins now are you Simon?" she said, before pulling him towards the ship.

Simon shook his head in response. "Me? No of course not."

He tried to brush it off as casual as possible, and not let her see the fear and anxiety in his eyes and voice. Beating her tail, Clary led Simon into the large sunken vessel.

The wood was an eerie gray color from the unexplained lighting of this place and covered with scratches and splinters. With heightening excitement, the two friends squeezed through a side porthole and into the ship.

Clary smiled as her green eyes looked at the remains of the crumbling vessel. There were several human skeletons lying on the deck, barnacle-encrusted scabbards still clutched in their bony fingers. There was a wooden chest toppled over among the bones, its contents spilling out onto the wood. There were golden coins, priceless pendants, and glittering jewels. Upon further investigation, the young mermaid noticed that one of the skeletons had a blade sticking out of his own chest. A blade that belonged to one of its bony companions.

"Clary," Simon gasped as all the pieces fell into place. "I think this might've been a pirate ship."

Clary's green eyes widened. "Really?" she swam over to look at the treasure. "Wow...I think you're right, Simon!"

The girl beat her tail and began gathering up the abandoned treasure, placing it into her sack with great happy enthusiasm. They had truly hit a goldmine in this little expedition. She giggled, slowly digging into the chest and pulling out a strand of pearls.

Simon's eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful necklace, "That looks so beautiful on you," he said as his friend modeled the necklace. The mermaid searched for a few seconds more and uncovered a gorgeous red and black cross-shaped necklace. She smiled, "This is so totally you," she said pressing it into her friend's palm. "I'll cherish it forever," he said, slowly placing it into the bag.

Out of the corner of his eye, Simon noticed a small silver thing resting upon one of the broken barrels. He swam over towards it, upon further inspection he found that it was silver and circled shaped. Clary noticed him studying it.

"Hey Clary check this out," he said. The mermaid swan forward narrowing her green eyes to see the object in her friend's hands.

"What exactly is this?" he asked.

Clary reached for it, cautiously, and took it between her long pale fingers studied it for a moment, before noticing something carved into the side, "Jace? Whose Jace?" she asked. Simon shrugged, "I don't know, maybe Magnus will know who it belongs too," he said. She put it into her bag.

Her eyes slowly wandered towards two crates that were neatly arranged along where they had found the chest full of jewels. She swam over towards them, gently digging through the straw to revealing hundred's of tiny alabaster jars. Uncorking one instantly there was the wonderful scent of almond oil. "We should totally take these with us," she said before tossing the stuff into her bag.

Simon picked up one of the swords and swung it in his pale hand, grinning as some of the eerie green light reflected from it. He turned to his friend with a playful, roguish smile and raised the blade. "Time to walk the plank, Short Stuff."

Clary merely smirked at her friend's words and snatched a sword of her own. "What right have YOU to call ME short stuff?" she cried and swung at him.

Laughing, the two friends play fought with every move they had seen their parents and teachers make. The princess locked blades with her friend pushing him into one of the pillars, as their weapons clashed against each other. Eventually, they stopped battling and tossed aside their weapons. Simon noticed the dark haze outside was growing each thicker, making it almost impossible to see anything. Out of the corner of her eye, Clary noticed a gleam coming from one of the boards and swam right over towards it.

Her green eyes brightened, "Oh my gosh, Simon have you ever seen anything so wonderful and amazing in your entire life?" she said, holding the object up.

"Wow that's so cool, but what in Angel is it?" Simon asked.

"I don't know, but maybe Magnus might know," she replied.

"Man..." Simon murmured, rubbing his hands over his arms, "This place seriously is creeping me out." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a dark shadow dart by, moving very fast. "What the heck was that?" he asked, but Clary wasn't paying attention. She swam over towards the other side of the room, picking up another object. "I wonder what this one is."

"Clary, did you hear something?" Simon asked as he swam over towards the window. His eyes looked back and forth, searching but he found nothing.

"No I didn't, why?" Looking around at this strange and perilous place, Simon felt a pang of something stab at his heart. It was something he wasn't used to feeling. Worry...anxiety... fear... Simon reached over and took Clary's arm. She looked at him, confusion plain on her pretty face.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"Something I swear doesn't feel right. We need to get out of here," he replied, his eyes wide with fear.

Clary rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Simon don't turn into a flounder on me now," she said. Simon could feel the fear and dread slowly begin to rise within him, as he started to take a few steps was then Simon turned around and gasped in horror.

He noticed a large dark shape began to form out of the darkness. In the shadow of the waters, a large shark stood above him, in the dark murky waters. In the center of the window was a pure black and gray shark, this one appeared to be much bigger and larger than any they'd ever seen. Its ruby eyes seemed to burn into the poor teens very soul's. The creature crouched down, it's fins flattening against its thick skull.

It slowly began the descent down the long slope. The shark moved towards them in a very scary formation, never breaking apart. Each of its movement, moving in perfect harmony, and synchronicity from the dark waters, a tall dark unbroken shape which seemed to hover just a few inches above the dark brown-rotted wood.

"AHH! SHARK! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

The large creature burst through the window, shattering the glass into a million tiny pieces, as Simon scrambled to get out of the way, his scream echoing loudly. Clary looked up just in time to see the whole thing happen. Her expression changed from one of happiness to one of pure terror. Simon swam towards the wall, moving as fast as he could, before barrelling into right his best friend. The shark followed his every move, slamming right into the ceiling.

To just merely say shocked would've been just a complete understatement to describe Clary's emotions and feelings. Even anger and rage were not even the right combination or nearly almost enough to see the fire and pain inside of the redhead's eyes and heart. As soon as those words Simon's escaped lips, Clary almost felt her heart stop beating, and yet the result was mere silence plus as deadly as a loud, deafening, agonizing scream full of pain filling the night air. Her pale fingers gripped the dark oak wood of the ship so tightly that she could feel the splinters forming into the creases of her skin, and her knuckles almost turned white, as the blood began to rush through her veins.

She gritted her teeth together, clenching them tightly causing them to ground into a look of pure, hot anger, making her body up at the shark, she finally opened her mouth to speak, as her lips pulled back from her teeth, which caused a snarl to rip from her throat. The glow from the seraph blade in her hand which burned brightly glistened upon her red curls; enchanting the rich color, making the mermaid look twice as an even more dangerous than before. The smell coming from the shark in front of her was even disgusting and gross, to the point where it almost made her sick. Yet they held their ground before it lunged at them again, and they immediately took off swimming towards the other side of the room to get out of the way.

The shark continued to chase them, snapping it's nasty looking jaws. Clary quickly spotted the opening to the entrance in which they'd come in before she and Simon raced through it. There was no sign of the monster as they swam down the corridor. All of a sudden, the shark burst through the wooden floorboards. The creature's jaws locked on the wood, chomping like a pirahina, breaking the fragments down easily.

Run.

Clary and Simon's each gut instinct immediately kicked in, as they took off swimming, their tails echoing in unsion as they dashed away, like a mad rushing out of control tornado. The snarls were getting louder and louder, and then all at once, suddenly faded into nothing.

'Don't be stupid, Clary, don't be stupid,' she pushed herself to get going, as she fought internally with the idea of turning around and fighting back.

Simon also thought with the reckless, stubborn teen before trying to break free, but it was as if his limbs were controlled by unseen, invisible strings, like that of a puppeteer. The very faint sound of the shark's roar could be heard in the distance, but he still continued to swim.

The shark was right on their trail, as they pounded against the merciless hard, current which was above them. Sharp wood and broken objects got in their way, smacking them right in the face which endlessly persisted to embed themselves deeper and deeper, into their sore aching flesh. Clary's bag got caught on some of the thin boards, but she refused to stop. She grabbed the bag, quickly disappearing through a small hole with Simon following close behind her. The monster halted not going in the other direction; and pushed its way into the spot where they vanished too.

She and Simon dashed down the corridor right towards the port-hole from where they came. Her best friend's face instantly fell because he realized it was far too small for him to squeeze through. "Oh man," he said and got stuck. Clary pushed with all her might and got him unstuck as she too squeezed right through it and they were finally at last outside. Not a moment later, the shark broke through the side and continued chasing them.

The shark suddenly threw its head back, and let out a loud growl into the air. The two teens didn't want to know what the hell it was doing and kept swimming. Out of the corner of her eye, Clary saw three more sharks come out of the darkness. These ones were much smaller and seemed to follow the large one's orders. One of the sharks soared through an arc in the murky waters, its horrid teeth like pincers gnashing with excitement.

Around in a circle they went, Simon wasn't paying attention as one of one of the sharks soared through an arc in the murky waters, it's horrid teeth like pincers gnashing with excitement. It was about to take a bite out of Simon's arm, and Clary smacked it away with her tail, but it still sank its teeth into his shoulder. A cry of pain escaped his lips. The pain was nauseating along with a blinding white searing one ripping through his body.

The pain was so blinding he crashed into the mast, hitting his head hard. He started to fall back towards the dark ocean. as Clary quickly swam for him. The shark chewed through the wood and immediately dove towards the bottom, while Clary pumped her tail against the tide, and reached her best friend just in time. He was falling near an anchor, and this gave her an idea. She caught Simon, helping him up going through the anchor and noticed the sharks swimming towards them at full speed.

"Simon come on, you've got to snap out of it!" she said, attempting to shake him loose from the dizzy spell he'd fallen into. But he wasn't responding at all. His eyes had rolled to the back to his head, and he had a slight deep bite on his arm. He finally snapped back to reality a few seconds later.

"Clary?" he asked.

"Take my hand, we have to work together to take these things down," she said. The glint in her eyes wasn't weakened by the shark and his goons were trying to eat and the attack they inflicted upon them. "Are you sure? I'm not sure we have enough energy or stamina to do this," he replied. Clary's eyes narrowed into slits, "Trust me, we can do this," she replied. Simon squeezed her hand back, "All right, I trust you."

"Hey big and ugly over here!" a voice called. Looking up Clary and Simon saw Magnus and Catarina just a few feet away from them.

"Magnus, Catarina!"

Clary smiled at her friends, "You both came."

Magnus grinned, "Of course biscuit, I always promised that I would protect my best friend's from danger," he winked.

"Thank you, Magnus," Simon added.

"Of course, it's our job to protect you both," Catarina said.

All of a sudden a blast of blue magic from Magnus's fingertips shot through the water. The pulsating ball of energy flew at the sharks, exploding right in front of them. It destroyed the three smaller sharks, shattering their ghastly forms like the blue tendrils of energy reached for the huge one. It surrounded him with a dark blue cloud, crackling with power. Finally, the spell broke and hit it head-on, the shark roared in terror as it finally vanished.

Clary and Simon both cheered, and high-fived Magnus and Catarina. Magnus chuckled, and bowed, as did Catarina. A sudden weakness hit Clary and Simon, as she let out a small groan. Magnus immediately rushed to their sides.

"Simon's hurt badly," Clary said.

"Let me see Si," Magnus replied, gently grasping Simon's arm in his hand. The merman groaned as the warlock studied the bite. "Good thing it didn't go any deeper, cause that would've been bad," he said, before waving a glowing hand over it. The bite slowly vanished, as Simon's skin began to repair itself. Catarina also added some magic of her own.

"Thank you so much, Magnus," Simon said.

"Yes thank you," Clary added.

"You're welcome, now what'd ya say we head for home?"Magnus asked. They all nodded. In a snap of his fingers, they vanished into a beam of light, and they were back in front of the palace. They were eagerly greeted by Jonathan, who swam as fast he could towards his sister and Simon, his green eyes beaming with happiness and relief. He threw his arms around them, hugging them each tightly. "I thought you two were doomed!" he cried, not relinquishing his grip on them.

Clary smiled, ruffling her brother's unruly hair, "Did you really think we'd led a few sharks to get the best of us?" she asked.

"Yeah those graveyard punk sharks got what was coming to them," Simon added.

"No I guess not," Jonathan said, as a sheepish smile formed on his face.

Magnus chuckled before inclining his head towards the palace doors. "Come on you two, Clary your father wants to see you."

"Oh yes," Clary's voice came out sounding slightly more miserable than ever, or even originally intended, for she knew exactly what was coming, the long inevitable lecture she and Simon wouldn't be able to avoid. "I'm sure he does," as they headed inside.

Little did they know, the four of them were being watched from afar. Red eyes glowed in the deep murky darkness, shielded by a glamour so that no one could see them. From underneath a dark rock, two eels watched, keeping a close eye on Clary in particular. They slowly emerged from their hiding place as their eyes changed color and now were a brilliant shade of orange, projecting an image of the princess and her friends into a small crystal ball, which sat upon a pedestal. On the other side was a ghastly and very dark scene.

"Yes, my dear little Clarissa, please do hurry home. We wouldn't want to miss your dear old father's celebration now would we?" a voice hissed from the darkness, seething in pure utter jealousy. Through the darkness, a pair of ocean blue eyes narrowed into slits. This was her secret place and her sacred place. It was where she felt at home and safe from all the cruelty of the world. She'd built this place for herself and for her babies in order to hide from those who wronged her so.

"When I ruled, we had glorious feasts and balls, not those stupid little excuses Lucian loves to call a party," Lilith mused to herself before plucking a little bug off of the plate which sat beside her. Biting into its thin flesh, she tasted nothing but bitterness. The taste of the bug was also a tad bit sour for her taste.

"Now look at me, wasted away to practically almost nearly nothing. Banished, exiled for eternity and starving to death while he and his nasty fish folk celebrate," she thought to herself.

"Oh I'll give those fool's something to celebrate soon enough!" she said. "Valentine! Rufus! her voice roared over to the eels. "I want you to keep an extra close watch that little particular daughter of my brother's."

 _"Yes, my queen, as you wish,"_ Valentine said.

 _"Of course mistress,"_ Rufus added.

Her blue eyes twinkled with satisfaction, twisting her finger's together.

"She may be the key to my dear little brother's undoing and to get myself back on the throne of Atlantis once again," her laughter echoed throughout the chamber before she burst into a source of red flames and vanished.


	4. Chapter Three

**Authoress Notes:** Hey guys, so sorry about the long wait for this chapter. Between life and everything else it just got in the way. This chapter contains some major Clace fluff, don't worry the Malec and Sizzy will come later ;) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. It really means the world to us ^_^

 **AFourAddict: Thank you so much ^_^ He did. We couldn't resist adding him in, and it's going to play a very important role later on ;)**

 **M: Thank you so much :) Yes it did XD Aww don't worry we promise it won't be sad. Those sad depressing endings suck and we always make sure to go for the happy one's.**

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"Oh thank God you're all safe! Father, Mother, Jonathan, the girls, and I were worried about you!" Tessa's gray eyes were filled with happiness and mostly relief, as she swam towards her siblings, hugging them tightly. Tessa was the oldest sister of Luke and Jocelyn's. And she was the most beautiful. The girl's long dark brown hair reached all the down to her waist, and she had beige skin like their form was slender. She wore a multi-colored halter top with shiny colored stones which showed off her petite waist and accented a light blue tail flecked with light and golden scales.

The mermaid moved elegantly through the grand hall which led into the throne room. The dark blue, golden color of the walls and coral made her scales shimmer. As did the few rays of light peeking through the tall skylight windows upon the soaring ceiling. Tessa let a smile form upon her face when she met Clary, Simon and Magnus, placing both hands on their backs and escorting them to the throne room. She didn't utter a word to either of them, because the look on her face was rather self-explanatory. There was no use in denying the storm of a lecture which, would inevitably follow upon meeting their father.

After a few minutes of silent swimming the trio finally at last arrived in the throne room. Clary's greenish eyes squinted, having the strongest urge to caress them. This one room in particular of the palace was so shiny, bright, and pleasant with its mother of pearl flooring and the golden-colored walls. On the contrary, she wasn't overly enthusiastic nor a fan of it. The relentless glint and glare caused her a headache when she had to stay there for long, extended periods of time. But the building itself was an ancient and historical one of Atlantis, they weren't allowed to redesign it.

Adele floated in a corner, her green eyes reading over a thick parchment scroll, untied at the ends. Jocelyn sat beside her mother with a paintbrush in hand. Her brows furrowed together as she tried to work on the details of a flower garden. She glanced briefly at her daughter who was with her most beloved friends. In that manner, she moved her head towards him, uttering them both a knowing raise of her eyebrows. Clary knew all too well why.

Luke sat on the throne, his eyes closed while his head remained bowed in a regal way. If someone did not know or associate with him well enough, it would seem and seem he was asleep. But the mere agitated swishing of his tail indicated the princess and her best friend otherwise. He seemed to be waiting for them to approach him. Clary shared a minor glance with Simon and Magnus and they both saw the same uneasy grim anticipation in their eyes that she felt. Jonathan and Sebastian, her father's advisor were there as well. Her brother had a sympathetic expression on his face, while Sebastian's was hard and cold.

She placed her hands on her hips, arching a single eyebrow at them, furthermore; this indicated her refusal to go forward. Simon as a result crossed his arms over his chest narrowing his brown eyes in a similary annoyed way. He made it clear that he wasn't going to take the brunt of the verbal onslaught either. After all, she was the one whom suggested they'd sneak out and go to the graveyard first. Magnus decided to stay out of it.

Clary sighed, as she levelled her eyes and held out her hand. Comprehending what she was proposing, Simon clenched his teeth before holding out his hand too, and a game of rock, paper, scissors ensued. Clary was the loser. A beaming grin stretched across the princess's best friend's face, he tried to stifle a laugh. Magnus couldn't help but crack a smile as well, as Clary shot them each a look which glared daggers and she slowly swam towards the throne. The pit of her stomach immediately dropped, knowing she was in big trouble. Simon stood by her side, not uttering a word, but he held her hand tightly.

"Daddy?" she at length spoke, as the king gradually opened his eyes.

Luke's gaze leisurely wandered to his daughter, those piercing irises of blue sending a chill through her. She always felt as if her father could see through her pale, ivory flesh right down to the very core of her soul. Clary gave a sheepish smile form on her face, mostly in trying to lighten the mood, but her father did not return the expression. Instead, the sea king's eyes narrowed into slits and Clary let a sigh escape her lips as she hung her head in defeat.

"How many times have I told you?" Luke began, his voice rising mostly from outrage..." the graveyard of ships is perhaps and is the most dangerous place in the entire kingdom. You three and your sisters are forbidden from ever going there. Yet you have deliberately defied me! I honestly just don't know what to do with you Clarissa and those best friends of yours."

"Daddy, I'm sorry. If you'll please allow me to explain. In all honesty, I forgot. It wasn't their fault" she started to explain, but her Father waved a hand, effectively silencing her.

Luke glared at his most adolescent daughter and her best friend just a mere moment later, before letting out a sigh and running a hand over his forehead. "As a result of your careless and reckless behavior, not to mention the embarrassment you caused to your older brother and perhaps this entire kingdom. The whole entire celebration was" he said, as Sebastian spoke, "It's ruined. No more like completely destroyed. This concert was to represent the pinnacle of your brother's long, distinguished career. No thanks to you, he's the laughing-stock of the entire kingdom! "he yelled right into her face.

"More like they caused, you to look bad," Jonathan said, as he rolled his eyes. "Dad, the girls and I we practiced for weeks for this concert and I know it was to be an incredible, grand celebration of the kingdom because of the many years of peace we've had. But we all make mistakes and forget, so can't you just let my sister and Simon off the hook this one time? After all, they did get chased by a shark and were nearly harmed. But if it hadn't been for Magnus and Camille they wouldn't be alive now," he said, placing an arm around her shoulders, and winked.

"Is that true Magnus?" Luke asked, looking at him.

Magnus nodded in response, placing his free arm on Clary's shoulder as well, "Yes it is your majesty. It was a very large and quite nasty looking down at that. The thing appeared out of the shadows without any of us knowing and proceeded to stalk us as its prey and almost nearly hurt us."

Sebastian looked at them all as if he'd gone mad or perhaps deranged. He swam towards the throne and bowed in a civil way. "Your majesty, if you would allow me to speak. The celebration was planned weeks in advance and the princess was very well aware of it, especially dearest Clarissa here" he proceeded to explain before Simon interrupted him.

"It wasn't all her fault Sebastian. Luke as Magnus said, we got chased by a large, hideous, hostile looking shark and barely escaped with our lives. It nearly almost knocked me out, but Clary, Magnus, and Camille helped me to regain consciousness and we all made sure to work together to trap it," Simon said. He'd hung back and watched with a melancholy expression, hopelessly as his most loyal friends being yelled at and berated before finally summoning the courage to look the king in the eye and tell him the truth.

"And Clary is what I'm hearing the truth?" Luke repeated on his daughter.

She nodded, "Yes, Daddy, it is all true."

Sebastian has rolled his eyes yet again in annoyance.

"To allow her to get away with these types of things is unacceptable and unfit to be a proper princess. Or a ruler. I clearly suggest she be punished for her actions. And I consider the best possible solution: Two days in the sea dungeons out to straighten"

"Enough Sebastian," Luke said, glaring at his children and their friends for a moment longer before sighing and running a hand over his forehead. "I recognize you three are hungry for adventure and that you all want something other than a dull, mundane life around the palace...But you cannot risk your lives on a whim. You have your futures as the rulers of Atlantis to think about. You can't risk your lives by foolishly playing in those horrible, dangerous places. And those shadowed areas of Atlantis as perilous as the barbaric humans which whom we share this world with."

That very statement alone made Clary's jaw clench in anger. What did her father claim to know about the human world? She absolutely hated the prejudice against humans, the beings she found so wonderfully fascinating. In spite of that, there was no use in bringing up that argument. She'd tried many times before to reason with him and it was like debating with a solid stone wall.

"Anyway," Luke was saying, "I will not drag this out any further. Today is your birthday after all Clary. You're all dismissed. Go and get cleaned up so that you'll be presentable for the party in a few hours."

Clary, Simon, and Magnus inclined their heads briefly out of respect, before swimming back to the hallway in which led out of the throne room. She pumped her emerald tail fast, quite eager to get out of that room. Undoubtedly its oppressive and negative feelings caused her to feel almost nearly always unwelcome. Her father repeatedly reminding her and Jonathan of their significant responsibilities as royalty. One day they would take the throne, co-ruling his place. Inside deep down, in fact she wanted none of it. Neither did her best friends.

In fact at the same time, Simon desired to be free just as she was, to experience his life. To have freedom, happiness, and adventure, away from the desolate life of the palace. He longed to see the various kingdoms beyond Atlantis. He wanted to study music and history, to learn more about the world above as much as he could too. And perhaps find love and a soul mate as well. He had heard many tales of the human world from his mother, sister, and various other people.

Magnus, who'd been alive for hundreds of years, had seen and traveled to many places throughout his lifetime. He was the luckiest one of them all to have visited the oceans of Paris, London, Indonesia, and New York. Observing the humans from afar and seeing them up close and personal as well. He studied their strange but interesting ways of life and behaviors, writing down all the information he needed to add to the notes of his previous trips. Even though he gathered and utilized all of it he still wanted to meet a human to get more answers to the many questions he had. He also wanted to find love too.

They knew her true feelings about ultimately becoming queen and it wasn't something she wanted in her future. All her life, Clary had been fascinated with the human world and it's many mysteries and treasures. She longed to learn and know more about the world above the waves in which she'd been born in. She yearned to see the wonderful and beautiful world just through the crystal waters, she wanted to obtain freedom, a life of her own, where she could go anyplace in the world she chose. Freedom away from this boring, royal life.

Simon's chestnut hair got in his face, as he struggled to keep with his hurrying best friend. Magnus's black tresses remained neat and tidy, not a solitary hair out of place, while he too tried to catch up to Clary as well. Simon caught up to her first. "That wasn't so terrible..." he said, trying to cheer her up. He knew she hated being lectured and yelled, constantly being assaulted with duty and lifelong commitments.

"It could've been a lot worse," he continued. "At least we don't have to listen to him anymore until the celebration tonight," Magnus said with a grin.

She laughed at his words and smiled. "I know. I positively detest him constantly yelling at me for just trying to live my own life."

"I can't believe your eighteen all ready, that means you can go visit the surface just like your sisters and everyone else can."

His words were true, when a member of the royal family or one of their citizens turned eighteen, they were able to visit the Realm above for the first time in their lifetime. After that, they were able to come and go as they pleased, visiting again and again. Anytime their hearts desired.

"I bet it's going to be awesome up there," Simon said.

Clary's eyes instantly lit up. "I've practically have been dying to witness it. Would you both please go with me?"

"Count me in.I asked my mom if I could tag along with you. She said it would be fine, as long as we stay together and don't cause any trouble."

She smirked at Simon, "Trouble is my middle name. Will you come two Magnus?"

He grinned. "Of course, Biscuit. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Come on, let's prepare ourselves ready for the party tonight. I must permit us absolutely looking our very best."

They swam down the hallway which led to the private quarters of royal family and down the opposite hall were the rooms for the palace staff and guests. Each room had a unique design etched into the stone so that someone could tell them all apart. Magnus's room was on the left. He opened the door allowing his friends to enter first before shutting it behind them.

Magnus's room was modest. There was a separate bed in the corner while a large mirror/vanity sat in the remote corner. The counter was covered with a broad variety and assortment of make-up, hair products, brushes, and hair accessories. Clary followed him and sat down, while Simon took a seat on the bench next to her. "I promise I won't do anything too crazy," Magnus said.

Clary raised her eyebrows in a quizzical manner before sharing a glance with Simon. She had to give him that credit because for her thirteenth birthday, he'd tried adding a special potion to her hair made of coconut oil and witch hazel, that was supposed to enhance her fiery red tresses. But he'd left the mix into too long and it's yellow color absorbed itself into her hair, turning it a hideous bright orange. Magnus had been barred by her parents from playing hair stylist for the next year until he could prove himself again.

The warlock grabbed a bottle from the vanity and squeezed it until translucent purple gel that was heavy enough to hold itself together in the water oozed into his open palm. He massaged it into both hands before setting to work on his "clients" hair. He dove into her hair with a brush, gently combing the stuff into her unruly tresses, carefully fashioning them with his capable, talented fingers into bouncy, wavy ringlets nodding when he was satisfied with their finished look.

He swam a bit back admiring his work while Simon worked on his own hair, using just a small amount of hair gel to comb through his messy dark brown hair. He quickly scrubbed off his skin using a yellow sponge which was still covered in dirt and grime. Magnus helped Clary as well to get rid of the grime and dust scrubbing her scales and she completed the rest. He also styled his hair and skin, putting on a cucumber face mask which would soften his skin.

"You two have crud all over you," he muttered, narrowing his dark brown eyes in concentration. "Just because we fought a battle with those sharks which nearly could've slaughtered us doesn't mean you have to look like a wreck on your birthday." Clary smirked while Simon just shrugged his shoulders, letting Magnus continue to aid them. He also did her make-up and his own as green eyes continued to wander around the room. The walls of Magnus's room she noticed were made of some turquoise stone substance which was heavily textured.

The massive clams like the one's she and Simon were sitting on were made primarily for undersea makeovers. It wasn't like she wasn't looking forward to the party, she just was longing to see the human world so badly. Tonight would be life changing for all of them. She could feel it.

"All done you two can take a look," Magnus said, swiftly rotating them both around to face to the mirror. Clary's eyes widened as she looked into the glass. She almost nearly didn't recognize herself. Her green eyes stared out from long lashes which almost looked fake. A strong black eyeliner lined the top and bottom of her eyes, which was carefully drawn into a winged shape. Making them look almost cat-like and mysterious. The conditioning serum made her red hair shine brightly. She added a pair of pearl earrings to complete the look.

Simon blinked to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. His once messy brown hair had been combed and smoothed back very orderly and neatly with some of the natural curls still showing. The hair gel Magnus used made his hair shine as well, bringing out the natural brown tones. He also wore a couple of bracelets and a ring on his finger. He wasn't extremely key on jewelry.

Magnus went for one of his more extravagant looks; his eyes were lined with a black and blue liner, he also added some shimmer to his eyelids for a more dramatic effect. His hair remained its usual messy style; he'd painted his fingernails a dark blue adding a touch of silver which glittered like metallic ice and a lot of jewelry.

"Thank you so much for your help Magnus," Clary and Simon both said, giving him a warm hug. He smiled and hugged them back, "You're very welcome, it's my pleasure, now let's go we have a party to attend." They swam out of the room.

The celebration lasted for a couple of a few hours, until evening had finally at last arrived, where it came time for Clary to travel to the human realm above with Simon, Magnus, Selene, and Jonathan. Luke, Jocelyn, and Adele were waiting outside of the palace for them. They wished them good luck on their memorable trip.

"I'll miss you while you three are up there, have fun and be careful," Adele said giving them warm hugs. Clary nodded, "We will Grandma," she replied with as smile.

Luke and Jocelyn each placed a hand upon their daughter's shoulder.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart.I'll miss you while you're up there. Just remember to be safe and careful like your grandmother said, but be sure to have fun and explore as much as you like. I love you," Jocelyn said, hugging her daughter.

Clary hugged her back, "I love you too Mom," she replied before turning her father.

"Clary, since you've now come of age, you are now a woman and your family, friends and the entire kingdom welcome you as one. You are permitted to come and go as you please. I'm entrusting you as a Fairchild that you will be safe and responsible and still adhere to the rules of not talking to any humans or allowing them to know we exist. Do you all understand?" he asked.

"Yes Dad, I do."

"I love you Clary."

"I love you too Dad."

"Clary, Simon, Magnus, Jonathan, and Selene, see that no harm befalls any of you."

"Agreed sir, you can count on us," Simon said, saluting Luke.

"Of course your majesty," Magnus added. This made him smile. They said their goodbyes to their friends and family, before swimming away from the palace. All five of them stopped for just a moment, as Clary turned to her friends and siblings, "You guys ready to do this?" she asked.

"Ready when you are Clary," Simon replied, his brown eyes glowing with excitement.

Magnus nodded in agreement, "I haven't been up there in ages to be honest with you but I'm very looking forward to seeing everything again," he said. "Hell yeah, let's do this," Selene shouted. "Yeah come on!" Jonathan said.

Clary laughed, "All right let's go," she said, as they began swimming towards the dark crystal surface. It only took them a few moments to reach the water's edge, just where it sat peacefully, smooth and calm as if it was rising into the heavens. Clary knew it was finally her turn to see the world she'd always wanted to.

"Why is it so dark up here?" Clary wondered aloud. "That's because it's almost sunset, wait till you see everything in the day time, it's so much more prettier and exciting," Magnus said. Each of them burst through the water's surface, Clary and Simon's lungs taking in the fresh, cool air of the human world for the first time. The sun was just beginning to set over the dawning horizon, as orange and pink streaks filled the blue cloudless sky. There were trees and sandy beaches that aligned the shorelines as the waves crashed back and forth into the dark rocks that stood in the shallow water.

"It's absolutely beautiful up here, and the air is so fresh and warm," Clary said as a warm late summer breeze caressed her bare skin. Her green eyes took in the wonderful sight before her, as did Simon, his brown eyes wide at the sky and the scenery around them, while her's were at the beach and the rocks in the distance.

"It's like a dream come true to see all of this," she said. Simon smiled, "It certainly is. Everything is amazing." Magnus grinned, "Wait till you see when the seasons change into fall, winter, and spring, it's truly magical." Selene smiled, "I know it's amazing to watch it all in person, and it's so wonderful," she said. "I agree, it's definitely spectacular," Jonathan added.

They heard dolphins and other creatures splashing around in the distance, the sky turned darker and a few stars twinkled above their heads. Clary faced the sun as it sank behind the clouds building on the sparkling horizon.

It was all so overwhelmingly beautiful, and Clary didn't know where to look. The stars began vanishing into darkness mostly caused by the thickening clouds. It proved disappointing, as they had hoped to spend more time gazing at them. Little did they know that those clouds would signal the moment their lives changed.

They all swam around for a while, playing and splashing in the dark waters. Clary floated gently among the crystal waves, it was all just like her mother had described it down to every single detail. She had the gorgeous dark blue-ocean waters below her and the light of the orange, red, and gold streaked sky above her head. The little puffy white clouds floated along, not bothering to block out any of the twinkling stars. She took some of the ocean water into her palms and laughed when she felt it tickling his skin. It felt like caressing fingers against smooth living marble.

Clary dove back into the water, her green tail slapping against the surface, as she leapt into the air, her ocean eyes caught every inch and detail of the lands surrounding them before she resurfaced a moment later. The lush green forests surrounding the large castle in the distance, hearing animals and creatures that she never knew existed. She saw vast green hills covered with beautiful vines; palaces and castles lined the shore, adding a nice touch to the landscape. Dolphins's jumped joyous out of the crystal waves, and the whales spouted water from their spouts, like a hundred fountains were playing all at once.

All of a sudden, a loud boom echoed from somewhere in the sky causing all of them to jump. "What in the Angel was that?" Simon asked, his heart was pounding like a jackhammer. Magnus's dark eyes began to look around sounded like a loud unnatural screech, as another loud noise replaced it. Bright red and yellow lights clustered together into the shape of a flower opening its petals for the first time in the few moments of spring.

"It appears to be fireworks. Human's use them for celebrations and special occasions," Magnus replied. Clary and Simon smiled at each other, these things their friend called fireworks were quite amazing to look at. It was then something caught Simon's attention. "Hey, what's that?" he said pointing into the distance. The three of them turned to see a large ship floating in the crystal waters. It was a big as the waves themselves and didn't appear to be moving.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's a ship, and where there's a ship, humans are bound to be onboard," Magnus said.

Clary's eyes lit up, "Humans? We've got to get a closer look," she said. "Definitely I've never seen humans this close before," Simon said, his best friend's eyes locked on the enormous vessel. "You coming Magnus?" she asked."You betcha!" he yelled. Clary slowly raised her arm's above her head, and dove into the crystal waters with a huge splash and vanished from sight. She resurfaced a moment later and waved to her best friends as they slowly made their way towards the giant ship.

As the friends drew closer, they heard laughter and music coming from the upper part of the deck. They noticed a few ropes hanging off the starboard's side. They looked pretty safe and sturdy. "Come on let's climb these ropes," the red head suggested. "I want to get a closer look at them and see if they're as hideous and ugly as Father described," Jonathan said. Selene rolled her eyes, "I highly doubt they're ugly," she retorted. "Those look like fun," Simon said, as he took one of the loose ropes into his hand. Each of them carefully pulled themselves up and out of the water, scaling the vessel like a large mountain. Music and laughter were coming from the upper part of the deck where a small platform was that they could sit on.

"Clary," Simon gasped, as they drew closer, "All I can say at the moment is wow. No wonder this ship is so big," he said. It was right at this moment that Clary and Selene came up on the side where the platform was and lifted their heads. "Whew what a climb," she panted, as her ocean eyes widened.

"This ship is packed," Magnus said.

Soon Jonathan came to join his siblings on the platform as well. "Hey, you guys check this out!" Simon said.

"I don't believe this. I had no idea a ship of this size was capable of holding so many humans at once. From my calculations it would be impossible," Jonathan said.

"You guys have to see this," Selene whispered. The five of them gazed into the small hole on the side of the ship. Clary gasped in surprise at what she saw. There right on the deck was a group of humans both men and women, young and old. Wonderfully sounding music played from a group of musicians. A large banquet table was set up displaying a huge feast, with many different kinds of foods which sat neatly arranged together with drinks. The guests were dressed in all sorts of bright colors dancing and playing games.

"Would you look at this? I've never seen so many humans, this close before," Clary whispered, as she looked around at the guests, as well as the beautiful decorations and all the different things. Simon grinned, "I know pretty amazing isn't it?" he said. Magnus nodded in agreement as well,"I must say they are very interesting creatures. Plus I might add they have fabulous taste in decor and definitely know how to throw a party," he said.

Jonathan nodded, "I have to say you're right Magnus and the music is wonderful. I can tell it's played with alot of passion, and love," as his tail swayed back and forth to the music.

"Yeah and the atmosphere is really festive, it has to be someone's birthday. The fireworks are going to be starting again soon. Anyone want to go check them out?" Selene asked.

"Yeah, that's an awesome idea, and we can get a better view from the other side, you guys want to come?" Jonathan said.

"No, I'm good, I want to watch the humans dance,"Magnus said.

"Clary, Simon would you like to come with us?" her brother asked.

"No thank you, I just want to stay here for a while," she replied.

"I'm good," Simon added.

"You don't mind do you?" Selene asked.

"No not all," Clary replied.

"Okay," he said, before moving down. "Be careful," as they scaled to the opposite side of the ship.

A large gray looking sheepdog danced around with many of the humans on board, whom were enjoying the party. The dog suddenly stopped for a moment, from running back and forth to sniff at the night air. He caught the scent of something very interesting and began sniffing around the various areas to find out what exactly the scent belonged to. His nose led him towards the ships opening.

The dog seemed to catch their scent, as he approached the area where the three teens were hiding from the humans view. They all gasped, immediately jumping out of the creature's line of sight and the small opening. Clary bit her lip for a moment pressing her back against the wooden frame before she turned around to look and see if the scary creature was gone. The sheepdog of course was still there, he gave her, Simon, and Magnus each a slobbery kiss against their cheek before someone called it's name and it took off running back into the crowd of humans.

"Ew, now I'm covered in dog slobber," Clary moaned, while Simon looked the guests curiously.

"Why do they cover themselves in such bright colors?" Simon asked, but neither of them knew the answer. It was common in the merkingdom. To them there were no shame and nothing to hide. But the two leggers wore garments which covered their entire frames except for their faces and hands.

Selene was about to pinpoint another spot to see the fireworks better when she caught the sight of something on the upper part of the deck.

"Huh, that's unusual," she said.

"What's strange Sel?" Clary asked.

She pointed to a corner of the ship where a lone figure sat looking at the sea. Her younger sister tapped her ivory fingers against her chin, "I swear I've seen him someone before but maybe I'm mistaken," she muttered.

Her eyes then became wide as she gazed up at the upper part of the deck in wonder, a sparkling that Clary had never seen in her sister's eyes before. She smiled as she continued to stare.

"Selene, what are you staring at?" Clary repeated.

"Look up there you'll see," she said before scaling back down.

Clary raised her eyes and glanced up at the upper part of the deck. Her heart nearly almost froze at what she saw. It was a human man, and he was sitting near the side of the ship, gazing out into the sea. His golden eyes seemed to be looking into the very heart of the ocean. He had shoulder length blonde hair which fell to his shoulders, curling at the ends. He had a lean but muscular build, and his face was long and angular, and his lips were full as well. He wore a light gray t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and black sneakers.

"He's beautiful," she breathed. Never in her life had she seen such a vision of beauty. He was so handsome and enchanting that she felt her heart start to skip a beat. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of red, and she smiled. She couldn't shift her eyes off him.

"There you are Clary," Simon said, scooting over to her, Magnus joined them to observe what was happening.

"Hey Jace!" a voice suddenly interrupted the blonde's thoughts. He turned to see a dark haired girl and another guy running towards him. She wore a pretty sundress and black heels. The guy had on a dark blue t-shirt and jeans.

"There you are, Alec and I have been looking all over for you. Are you enjoying the party?" she asked.

"Yeah Izzy it's great."

"Why don't you come and hang out with us?" Alec said.

He sighed, "Honestly I don't feel much like celebrating tonight to be honest."

"Oh why not?"

"I don't know, most of the dances involve couples and there's no one on the ship that I really want to dance with."

"Come on Jace, there are tons of pretty girls that would love to have the honor dancing with you," Izzy said.

"Yeah but not one of them really stands out to me at all. It's nothing against them."

Simon was completely entranced with the beautiful goddess in front of him. His eyes were wide while his mouth was agape. She looked like a real, gorgeous version of Snow White only with longer black hair, and flawless skin. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders into waves of black silk, while her equally dark eyes were mysterious and bright. She had full red lips and was a gorgeous, statuesque woman.

"Man she's gorgeous. I bet she has a hundred boyfriends constantly knocking on her door, showering her with gifts," Simon said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Magnus couldn't stop staring at the angelic creature that was Alec. He was absolutely pure perfection with that raven hair, which he wanted to run his fingers through, and those blue eyes reminded him of the deepest crystal waters. His skin seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. He had full lips, which were now smiling. Magnus himself was enthralled-which was an emotion impossible for a merman to even have. The human being before him was a rare find and he wanted to meet him.

"Alec, your name alone is the like the most enchanting melody upon my lips. Your eyes remind me of the intensest blue sapphires, and your skin is like the smoothest clear sand," he sighed dreamily.

He got up and walked over with them towards the upper part of the deck where the crowd had gathered around to see what was going on. An more elderly gentleman had his arms up parting the crowd of people dividing them down the middle so that everyone had evened out.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention? Please quiet down. It's my honor to present our very esteemed Prince Jace with a very special, very elegant welcome home present," Axel said.

"Axel, you didn't have to purchase me anything," Jace said.

Their parents adviser laughed, "Of course your majesty I had too. It's your welcome home party after all, and what's a lavish party without an extraordinary gift," he replied.

"Jace, I swear we tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen," Alec said.

"You know him; he at no time does," Izzy whispered. Jordan, Bat, Ryan, and Michael had carried over a bulky package wrapped in white and gold paper, secured with a red bow tied around the middle, and set it down earlier in the night.

"Hope you like it," Axel said, as Jordan untied the bow and let the boxes sides fall to the ground revealing an expensive looking marble statue of the prince. He was adorned head to toe in shadow hunter gear. With a cape and a seraph blade, dressed in the elegance in a hero, standing in a striking pose.

Jace raised an eyebrow and grimaced, while Alec and Izzy stared at it in utter disbelief. Hodge blinked twice, nearly almost spitting out his drink. The gift itself was literally so bad it made them all want to burst out laughing at how silly and stupid it was. But they dared not utter a word.

"Well Axel it's undoubtedly something," he admitted, flicking his fingers through his hair. Alec levelled his eyes and snorted, while Izzy made a face, putting two fingers down her throat and faked a gag while Axel had his back turned. Jace smirked at their actions, but then his expression became serious once again.

"I do think so myself, but I'd rather hoped it would be a wedding present," Axel continued, leering at Jace, who rolled his eyes at the man's words. Of course he had brought up the subject of marriage again, and on his birthday. "Oh come on Axel, don't you dare start on that subject again. You're angry because I didn't fall for the princess of Irian aren't you?" he asked.

"You know it's not merely me your highness. You've all come of age and are eligible to be married."

Jace glared at him with anger in his eyes. "For the last time, Axel, she wasn't the one!"

"You all must select a bride or groom. Princess Kali and her brother James are the last eligible princess and princes in the surrounding kingdoms."

Alec sighed, "We are aware of that, but right now marriage isn't on our minds now."

"And you keep bringing this up at every single birthday, holiday and all of us have grown absolutely sick of it," Izzy added.

"The whole entire kingdom wants you all to happily settled down with the right person," Axel said.

"Well, we haven't found them yet, so can you please drop the subject?" Alec asked.

The party lasted another hour, before all of the guests finally began to retire for the night in the ships lower deck. Jace and his siblings stayed on the main deck just talking. Clary and her friends remained in the shadows, out of sight so that they wouldn't see them. Jace fished a knife out of his pocket to cut off a slice off an apple he held in his hand.

He directly sat on the edge of the ship near the mast, with one knee bent and his other foot hanging off. Before long he and his siblings were talking in the back of the ship where no one would hear that. Alec pulled up a crate and sat on that, while Izzy sat on the hammock on the right side.

"I can't believe Axel would do that," Jace said shaking his head. "After everything we've been through in the previous year and half with our family and him. To do that you both and me." His brother and sister nodded in response.

"I know. He's such a fucking slimeball. Who in the hell does he think he is trying to tell us how to live our lives?"Alec said.

"Exactly, I want to experience love more than anything. Just with the right person. I want a guy whose sensitive, funny, and sweet. Who will take care of me right, hold my hand and kiss away my worries and fears. He has to be a total goofball and a little nerdy." Izzy replied.

"I do as well. I just want a guy who will accept me for whom I am as a person. Someone whose understanding, open minded, down to earth, kind, gentle, and sweet. Loves to travel and be themselves, makes me feel good, confident in my own skin, and I want to do the same for them. Just someone who always surprises me and keeps me on my toes. I know that sounds cheesy and stupid," Alec said.

"No, it sounds absolutely genuine and sweet," Iz winked at her brother.

"Yeah, it does," Jace said smiling at him.

"Love is always been something that's eluded me. I just want a girl who isn't afraid to be herself and is real about everything. Is confident in her own skin, feisty but fun, and is down to earth as well," Jace added.

Meanwhile beneath the ship, Clary, Simon, and Magnus were listening to their whole conversation from underneath the boat deck. They'd heard every single word the Lightwood siblings had spoken in that few minutes. They all seemed so nice and maybe just needed to meet some people their own age to talk to and hang out with.

Clary could feel what Jace was saying. He seemed so withdrawn and depressed, as if the right person was missing from his life. Conceivably she was the one he was looking for. His heart seemed to be searching for that special someone, a love beyond the land and stars, a heart that wanted to be loved and cared for.

Simon felt the same way about Izzy, she'd described the perfect guy and he could possibly be it. He'd been searching for a girl his whole life, and she was exactly what he was looking for. She was fun, sweet and drop dead gorgeous.

Magnus saw Alec was shy and didn't seem very comfortable in his own skin. He seemed lonely and anxious, as if he needed someone special in his life. Someone who would support him all the way, to be his rock and someone to love him deeply.

"Man they all sound so nice, maybe human's aren't so bad after all. Izzy really seems so special," Simon said.

"Yeah and Jace is so handsome. He seems extremely nice too," Clary added.

"I agree. Alec I can tell is just shy and he doesn't seem confident of who he is as a person. What are we sitting here for? Let's introduce themselves to them now," Magnus replied.

Clary's eyes widened, "Are you sure Magnus? You know what my Dad said about keeping our distance. But I guess what he doesn't know couldn't hurt him," she said with a wink.

"Yeah, I don't want to get in any kind of trouble. But if we don't tell subsequently it's not a terrible idea," Simon shrugged.

"Okay, let's do this," Clary said, she gently placed her hands on the rigid surface so that they were flat and she had a firm grip on the side of the ship, as she inclined her head up so that it was now visible and right by Jace's leg. Her fingers clung to the netted mast. Simon and Magnus were right by her, as they still were concealed in the shadows. Never in her life had she'd seen a human being this close before, let alone a guy. Any moment he was going to see her. Her heart was beating a million miles so fast from behind her chest that she thought it might give out.

Quickly realizing her mistake, she had to get back into the water. But any mere movement or motion and Jace would definitely see her. Trapped between nearly being exposed and a hard place, she held her breath. Silently praying to the Angel Raziel that he wouldn't see her. He shifted his foot so that it now rested in a more secure position. Simon hadn't moved either, nor did Magnus as they stayed silent. The warlock made a signal with his hand, and they proceeded to slowly move back down. When the sound of a crash echoed through the air, startling them.

One of the ropes had been attached to something, and it snapped loose causing a crate and a barrel to fall to the ground with a massive bang. Jace got to his feet instantly before noticing the rope snapped. It could be fixed easily. While his thoughts were lost in the near moment, his golden eyes carefully swept over the ship, routinely searching for any sign of danger or a perhaps a loose demon. He didn't genuinely think about it; the urge itself was an automatic typical thing due to being a shadowhunter. You were always constantly on your guard at all times.

Alec immediately jumped up as well as Izzy, they started looking around for whatever caused the noise. Jace had gone to the upper part of the deck while Izzy took the left side and he took the right. His blue eyes looked back and forth across the lower deck, holding his bow and arrows, searching amongst the barrels and crates to find the source, but came up with nothing. Izzy was on her guard as she looked among the deck chairs and various crates, even going over to the sides and the mast. All of the ropes were secure and in place.

Maybe perhaps there had been a reason for Jace's searching. Something couldn't have just made the rope snap. Something had to have done it or someone. A small trigger using his enhanced senses had caught something before he was able to recognize it consciously with his mind. As his eyes carefully looked across the edge of the ship, standing out in the dark crystal waters, right up against the thick dark green almost black forest, was a glint of red or was it green or purple instantly captured his attention. A color which normally was not ever there.

His gaze zeroed in on the color that shouldn't have been there in the first place. It was so far away in the ebony haze that even a bird or some other predator with good vision wouldn't be able to see it. The fog lifted just a bit, clearing away. He stared. There was a blend of green, red, and black.

"Jace what are you staring at?" Alec asked, coming up along side him. His brother was leaning over the ship's side looking down directly at something that seemed to be hiding in the shadows. Izzy soon joined them her silver snake bracelet wound around her wrist, twinkling in the moonlight.

"I swear to the Angel Raziel that I just a saw someone sitting just down there," he said.

"You've got to be kidding me. It's probably just a fish swimming underneath the surface."

"Or you're merely hallucinating." Izzy replied.

Alec's fingers gripped the back of his bow along with the arrow he pulled from his quiver. His sky-blue eyes quickly glanced down in the exact spot that Jace was pointing and so did Izzy. At first they didn't see anything but soon their eyes began to adjust and they saw very clearly and the sight alone made them gasp. Sitting in the very darkness underneath the ship's side appeared to be a girl and two guys hiding from their line of sight.

The girl was a redhead with green eyes. She appeared to be about their age or close to it. Beside her were two guys. One appeared to be of Asian descent with black hair styled nicely, and he wore alot of jewelry. The other had dark brown hair and glasses.

Alec's eyes widened at the sight of the gorgeous man. He had to the hottest person he'd ever seen in his life. He was even hotter than Jace, which put him to shame. He had beautiful, golden flawless skin and the brightest brown eyes. His hair was a dark ebony black and was styled with glitter nearly covering most of it. He could be a disco ball and sparkle even brighter. The make-up he wore seemed to bring out his eyes quite nicely and his fingernails were covered in a sparkly blue nail polish.

Izzy couldn't take her eyes off of the dark-haired guy with the glasses. He was so handsome and adorable it made the butterflies in her stomach flutter even more. He had pale beige skin and the most amazing brown eyes. His smile was cheerful and engaging. The glasses brought out his brown eyes. The way he looked at her with such wonder and awe made the smile across her face grow.

To Jace she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He was enchanted, and that was something very rarely that happened to him. The girl before him was certainly a rare find; her eyes alone were enough to draw some kind of attention. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness while her lips were a pale pink. She was even more beautiful than all the princesses whom had been introduced to him in order to find a bride.

"I wish we could meet them," Clary said, not shifting her gaze off Jace.

"Yeah me too, but we should maintain our distance or they'll probably eat us," Magnus said.

"Or maybe devour us whole," Simon added.

"Yeah right, that's one of those stupid tall tales that Sebastian or my Dad told you," Clary replied.

She couldn't take it anymore, before she emerged from of the shadows, coming up behind the ship's side to look at the humans more closely.

"CLARY!" a firm but gentle male voice which was mixed in frustration suddenly cut in.

Jace whirled around he was so startled that the knife he'd been holding slipped from his grasp and immediately clattered against the hard, wood floor of the ship. Izzy and Alec turned along with him, each of them wearing equal expressions of astonishment on their faces. They rotated their heads in the direction of the masculine voice each in simultaneous motion. Two guys had emerged from the shadows alongside the redhead. They all stared at each for a couple of seconds before Alec broke the silence.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking from Clary to his brother and sister, trying to figure out what was going on. At that exact moment something immediately clicked inside of his mind, as he looked at the shocked faces of his siblings and the others around him. Even they couldn't conceal their surprise. A mundane girl and her friends had managed to catch them off guard. He silently cursed underneath his breath at his parabati's stupid question.

"It's a girl and her friends Alec. Undoubtedly you've seen a female and a male before. After all our sister is one," he said. He slowly took a step towards her, blinking just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "A human mundie girl and her two mundie friends. And they can see us."

"Of course we can see you," Clary said.

"We're not blind you know," Simon retorted glaring at him.

"Oh, I'm sure you aren't," Jace replied with a roll of his eyes.

Izzy rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Jace that's enough, stop it. You're being rude for absolutely no reason. What are you three doing over there anyway?"she asked.

"Just hanging out like any other normal friends do on a nice night like this," Simon said, with a grin. Izzy couldn't help but smile at him back. He was really cute and adorable.

"I don't believe we've seen you three around here before. Are you from Alicante?"Alec asked.

The warlock shook his head, "No not exactly."

"For all one knows they're from the village," Izzy said.

"No we're from the other side of the mountains. There's a small village just on the outskirts," Clary said.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Magnus Bane, and these are my two best friend's Clary and Simon, and you are?" the gorgeous man held out a hand.

"Alexander. I mean Alec. You can call me Alec." Alec flushed and shook his hand."It's nice to meet you all."He swore the second their hands touched, a very gentle warm sensation ran through his veins.

"Hi, I'm Isabelle. But everyone calls me Izzy. It's so great to meet you guys. Especially you Simon."

Simon couldn't help the smile that formed on his face, "Hi Izzy my name's Simon. It's wonderful to meet you," he said holding out a hand to her, which she shook warmly. The second their hands touched the two felt as if they were home.

"I'm Jace it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the blonde said.

"My name's Clary, it's absolutely great to meet you all," Clary replied, shaking Alec and Izzy's hands. She held out her hand to Jace who took it in his. The moment their skin made contact, it was like an electrical current passed right through them. It felt extremely unusual but odd at the same time.

The six of them spent an hour talking and getting to know one another. Alec learned that Magnus was a warlock and loved throw lavish parties, and traveling. He was also fond of books and poetry, which he had in common as well. Izzy also learned that Simon adored music, and was a sort of musician. He also enjoyed playing games and reading. Jace himself learned that Clary was an artist, she loved painting and spending time with her friends. She also enjoyed music and adventure.

"Why don't you guys come out of the water and join us up here?" Izzy said.

Clary's face immediately paled, as did both Magnus and Simon's. They all looked at one another for a moment before Magnus said, "Actually it's time for us to be heading back home. It's getting relatively late."

Simon nodded, "Yeah it's late. We should definitely head back," he replied.

"I agree, it was nice meeting all of you," Clary added, as Simon and Magnus climbed down the ropes, getting back into the ocean, without Jace or his siblings seeing their tails.

Clary shifted her weight so that she too could climb down, but that wasn't before a pale hand wrapped itself around her wrist. She looked up to see Jace staring at her intently with his golden eyes. He'd gripped her wrist and tugged her back to him. He took her face into his hands, gently kissing the back of her knuckles while his fingers caressed the side of her cheek and he smiled. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes, as his fingertips traced the outline of her eyelids and her lips.

At that exact moment, she met every single word that she was currently thinking. She looked into those golden eyes and could feel the heat of Jace's body radiating towards her. It was at that time another strange warmth began flooding inside her, spreading from the middle of her body and then fully coursing right through. The mermaid was having trouble breathing and her heart was racing a million miles an hour. This was something that she never felt before in her life. A thought came to her and she suddenly knew why. It most likely wasn't even at all possible, but she knew enough that she couldn't deny it.

"Clary," he whispered, as they each kept their eyes locked in a never-ending gaze.

"Yes Jace?" she asked, nearly breathless.

"May I kiss you?"

He could see her green eyes widen in surprise. She wasn't expecting this at all.

"If you'd like. You may."

"W-What? Clary are you sure?"he asked.

She smiled and nodded. They sat there together, as he looked down into her green eyes, a desire rising in his orbs of molten gold. A look of hunger and want, and a love for her soul. His eyes gradually started to close as did hers, as they leaned forward towards each other, as his lips brushed against her's. Jace lifted her chin and brought her closer as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

It began gradually and gently, before turning more passionate and loving. Her lips tasted like the richest, sweetest chocolate. Every bite was so tempting and so sweet. Clary felt his tongue sliding across her lips before she opened her mouth and let him in. Their tongues caressed each other's mouths, as the heat between them became even more intense. A warm burning desire slowly began to course through each of their veins.

As they broke apart for air, Jace opened his eyes to look at the beauty sitting just a few feet away from him. Clary felt a change in her tail as she looked down, the scales became brighter and more luminous, as they glowed just for a mere moment for turning from the dull green to a much more vivid shade of emerald. She glanced back up at Jace who was looking at her with a tender smile. She smiled back as well. The eternal bond instantly had been made. The kiss they shared proved it, as the love bond linked them together for life, and there was no way of reversing it.


	5. Chapter Four

**Authoress Notes:** Wazzz up! Brand new chapter coming your way :) We really hope you enjoy this one, because it has some fluff for each couple, especially Clace. Don't worry the Sizzy and Malec is coming soon.

 **Disclaimer: We do not own The Mortal Instruments originally created by Cassandra Clare or The Little Mermaid.**

A heavy sombre air gradually began settling over the small village of Alicante, while a fierce cold, quiet breeze floated over the many houses and local establishments. Meanwhile, the full, silver pallid moon, which had once glowed in bright sapphire sky full of luminous stars in the meantime had suddenly vanished. Above in its place were black, ominous looking storm clouds, as the distinct smell of possible rain permeated the air. Magnus's dark brown eyes narrowed in confirming suspicion, as he carefully observed the uneasy scene unfolding before him. The high warlock was never one to practice or dabble in the art of accurately predicting/glimpsing the foreseeable future or even as someone whom was an immortal like him, he clearly recognized a dangerous, ill omen when he saw one, whether it was up close and personal, or from very far away. For that reason an uneasy feeling as a result settled voluntarily into the pit of his stomach.

At the same moment, he felt a hand gently place itself on top of his. Magnus's glance shifted to see Alec smiling at him warmly. A bright twinkle in his gorgeous blue eyes. He returned the same lovely smile before the blue-eyed handsome man finally spoke. "Um, Magnus, I was wondering if we would be able to see one another sometime soon. If you would like too."There was a slight nervousness in his voice.

He smiled sheepishly, therefore nodding in response, "Of course I would love to see you again. How about tomorrow? Let's meet at the beach let's say around noon?" he said. As a result hearing those kind words made Alec's lovely face brighten up even more. "Great. I look forward to it. I'll see you then," the shadowhunter replied.

Magnus let go of his hand before reluctantly deciding to make an extremely bold move. He leaned up on the wooden side before kissing the side of Alec's right cheek. Alec's gentle fingers gently caressed it, as a charming smile formed on his face. The touch of that gorgeous man's lips felt so spontaneous and sweet. Jace and Izzy had seen the whole entire thing and were merely grinning at him. He immediately felt his face flush furiously a brilliant shade of burning red.

Clary could see it as well for the once peaceful night sky now looked extremely threatening and dangerous. The luminous stars seemed to have vanished. Above them was no longer calm, but very unsettling. It looked like a major storm was about to surface. The distinctive sound of continuous thunder could be undoubtedly heard in the considerable distance as a few flashes of frequent lightning came from inside of the enveloping clouds. She knew precisely, it would be time to leave soon.

Jace gave Clary's hand, a gentle squeeze, the pleasant, gentle smile still on his face.

She squeezed it back before he spoke, "Clary I was wondering if you aren't busy tomorrow, we could hang out for a little while," he said.

A happy formed on her face, "Yes I'd love too. We can meet on the beach near those rocks."

He grinned, "Then I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late," before kissing her again, and letting her go.

Simon could instantly see the ominous clouds which had formed above them as well. These, in particular, looked extremely dangerous and threatening. Almost every hair on his head and body stood on end, while his fins twitched. His brown eyes grew wide with legitimate concern just like his friends had. This oncoming storm looked like it was inevitably going to be extremely dangerous and terrible. He looked back at Izzy, whose lovely eyes along with Alec's, Magnus's, Clary's, Simon's, and Jace's saw the incoming storm as well.

They all wanted desperately to willingly stay and talk with their new friends a tad bit longer. But hence until now because of the storm, it wasn't going to happen.

"Simon," Izzy's gentle voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.

He quickly looked up to meet her gaze. Her long hair blew in the wind, cascading down her shoulders in waves of black silk.

"Yes Izzy?" he politely asked, sincerely hoping she would merely ask him to stay.

"I was wondering if we could see each other too again."

"Yes Izzy. I would love to see you too. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"No, I don't have plans as a matter of fact. We can meet by the docks around noon."

"Awesome. I'll see you then Iz. Be safe tonight."

"I promise you I will Simon. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied, as he kissed her hand and then disappeared. Izzy turned towards her brothers, as Alec spoke, "We'd better get back home now before this storm decides to hit."

"Clary, we best be getting back home now, that storm looks extremely dangerous," Magnus said.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to be caught in this," Simon added.

Clary bit her lip, she wanted to stay and talk to Jace just a little more, but was snapped out of her trance by Magnus shaking her arm.

"Come on Clary, we have to get of here. It's getting bad," he said.

She turned to look at him; the fear in his eyes was very real. She knew her father wouldn't approve but her friends didn't care about what Luke thought. Simon must've noticed the uncomfortable exchange, as he looked back up at the sky with wide, concerned eyes.

"Yeah, we should get of here," she agreed, knowing the storm was about to hit any minute.

Clary's eyes widened for now she understood what everyone was worried about.

"Let's get out of here before it's too late!" Selene said, before she dove off the ship's platform.

Jonathan, who had been swimming around, did the same, as did Magnus. His brown eyes gazed tenderly at Alec before disappearing below the waves. Clary and Simon stayed put where they were. She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and looked back at the sky. Dark, foreboding clouds were beginning to roll in shrouding the stars and bright, pale full moon in a dismal blanket of gray. A few flashes danced over the clouds, along with a couple of loud rumbles signaling the first signs of lightning and thunder.

She and Simon gave one last look at Jace and Izzy. They both weren't looking at them now. Izzy was apparently talking to someone, her brother said something and she laughed, causing her eyes to light up, melting Simon's heart. She went to make sure the mast and things on the deck were secure so that nothing wouldn't fall off. Jace quickly was helping some of the crew along with Alec, Hodge, and Axel get the sails hoisted up. Tying them down along with a few other loose things. They watched for a moment longer before finally diving back disappearing under the surface of the dark, crystal water.

Magnus, Jonathan, and Selene had vanished into the night, for they were nowhere to be found. "Well, that was fun and interesting," Simon said, as they circled the dark surface. Clary began swimming away back home, but she could feel inside something was horribly wrong.

"Simon, I know this sounds stupid, but something doesn't feel right," she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The princess's emerald green eyes narrowed, "That storm looks really strong and dangerous. I'm going back up to see if they're going to be all right."

"Just be careful, I would go with you but my mom's expecting me home. You know how she is, she'll freak. If anything happens, use your stele to protect yourself."

"I will Simon, I promise," she said, before swimming back towards the surface and the chaos which was going on. As soon as she resurfaced, the sky roared with thunder, as rain began to fall from the threatening clouds, as she watched the sky turn into a monstrous sea of night. The wind blew, whipping against her red hair. The rain fell harder, with each passing second. It was becoming nearly almost impossible to see anything.

The rough waves threw the ship side to side, as if the sea had become angry. Clary knew the storm was strong as the lightning split the sky with a loud cry, that sounded as if the ocean was wallowing in pain. At that very moment the wind along with the rain smashed right into the left side of the ship with a violence she had never seen in her life. The once calm sea grew even more violent as the waves churned, growing taller and taller, and even stronger than walls of her parent's palace. Lightning lit the darkened sky, rain battering in its wake.

People on deck were running in fear for their lives, as the waves raged back and forth. Jace, Alec, Izzy, Max, Hodge, Axel, and the entire crew hastily hurried to make sure the ship wouldn't sink. A few were nearly almost swept overboard, as they hurried towards the lifeboats by the orders of their captain. Hodge knew the ship didn't stand a chance against this all-powerful storm, so he ordered everyone to get onto the lifeboats immediately. The ship only had a limited number of them, but in all it was more than enough to hold all of them and get everyone to safety. The ship was starting to break apart little by little into pieces.

"Hurry please, everyone get to a boat as fast as you can! We've got no time to waste!" Alec said, as he helped Helen and Aline into a boat along with a young mother and her child. Jace and Izzy were doing the same thing, as well as Jordan and Bat. Max got into the small boat too. Four of the crew members began cutting the ropes to the lifeboats, allowing them to get loose and drop into the water.

"Come on, move, move, move!" Jace said to a few guests, as he got into the same lifeboat as his siblings. He drew a knife from his pocket and began cutting the ropes, immediately once they were loose, the boat plunged into the water. They began rowing as fast as they could to get away. Clary smiled, he and his siblings and friends were safe, knowing this made her happy. As they were getting a safe distance away, the sound of meowing could be heard coming from the upper part of the deck.

Jace's eyes looked back up in horror, they grew wide at the sight of Church who was still trapped on the ship. He immediately took out his stele and knife slipping them back into his pockets before going towards the side of the boat and took off his leather jacket. He rolled up the sleeves to his grey t-shirt. Alec and Izzy both noticed what he was doing.

"Jace what are you doing?" Alec asked.

"Church is still trapped up there. I'm going to get him," he replied.

"Are you out of your mind? The ship is going to sink, and it'll take you down with it!"Axel said.

"I won't be long. I promise!" Jace said, before diving into the dark waters. He resurfaced a moment later and swam towards the ship. His golden eyes noticed a rope hanging from one of the cargo hold and grabbed onto it. Using his left foot, he hoisted himself up into the air and swung himself over, landing on the ships deck. Flames were nearly almost everywhere, as he ran searching for Church. The air around him was hot, and smoke filled nearly almost everything.

It was then he saw Church on the upper part of the deck, meowing very loudly in distress. He ran over towards the cat, and held out his arms. "Come on Church, jump!" he yelled. The blue cat's eyes were full of fear and anxiety, as he meowed unsure of what to do. "You've got to jump, come on buddy, I know you can do it!" Church hauled himself into the air and landed safely in Jace's arms. He ran back towards the side of the ship, before tossing the cat overboard, into Max's arms.

Just as one of the last boats was lowered to safety, a bolt of lightning hit the main mast, causing it to break out in flames. Alec and Izzy saw it.

"Jace, we have to go NOW!" Izzy called up to him, her brown eyes full of fear.

"Iz is right, the ship's going to explode!" Alec said.

"Come on, we don't have a moment to waste!" Hodge yelled.

"I just have to make sure everyone else is safe!" Jace said.

"Jace it's too dangerous, we have to go!" his sister said.

"I'm aware of that. I can't bear to see or watch anyone die while this storm tries to take away innocent lives. We have to protect our people!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, quickly making one last run around the entire ship to make sure no one else was on board. It was all clear and he went back to the side.

"All clear, everyone's safe!" Jace said, just as he was about to dive back into the water, his foot crashed through the wooden floor, getting caught between the boards. He managed to get himself free a second later but fate had a much crueler trick in mind. Just as Jace was about to take another step to throw himself right over the side and into the boat, the waves hurled a giant piece of the mast which had now broken right into his head. It shattered into a million tiny pieces, creating a large cut right on Jace's forehead. The pain blinded him, momentarily, as he struggled to focus. One of the pieces had fallen onto the deck, flames licking at the wood and was right by a box of fireworks.

All of a sudden, a loud explosion suddenly ripped through the air, as the ship was engulfed in a large ball of fiery chaos. Jace instantly fell into the water; a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. He was knocked unconscious.

"JACE!" Alec and Izzy cried, they watched in horror as their brother fall into the deep dark ocean. Clary watched in complete utter disbelief, and terror as the handsome prince fell into an abyss of darkness. "JACE!" she cried, knowing a human couldn't survive in the underwater kingdom.

The ship had been torn into complete pieces and was now on the urge of sinking. Fire burned at some of the remaining pieces in the water. Many of the guests huddled together to keep themselves from freezing. Clary looked around for him, swimming between the debris and various things which now floated in the dark waters. She continued to search among the wreckage, but still didn't find Jace. It was then she turned around and saw Jace clinging to a piece of wood. His golden eyes were closed, but he was still breathing. She quickly swam to the spot, but he was losing the strength to hold on and the rough current made him go underwater.

With all of her sufficient strength, she dove back into the water. It was extremely difficult to see through the murkiness, for the ship above had crashed into a bunch of rocks and was promptly lost. She swam through many drowned objects and instantly saw him going deeper into the boundless ocean. He was still alive, but barely hanging on. She swam down towards Jace, clasping her arm around his chest, and hauled him to the surface.

As she gently broke through the water, the fierce storm was still surging, as she struggled fiercely through the rough waves, and to see through the storm. Clary could feel him grow fainter in her arms, as she carried him through the turbulent water. Her arms were instantly starting to ache, but she wouldn't give up.

"I have to get him to land before he dies," she said. His head rest against Clary's bare chest, as she carried Jace through the waves which were promptly starting to calm down. She held him close, as they floated gently along the current. Jace promptly began to cough up some of the seawater he promptly swallowed, his lips regaining a little color. She instantly saw his eyes slowly flutter open. They were slightly unfocused, and his eager lips positively trembled. He looked right up at Clary. "Clary?" he asked rhetorically. "Don't worry Jace, I'm going to get you to dry land, and to safety," she said. He opened his mouth to mutter something but drifted back into unconsciousness before he could reply.

His long eyelashes gently framed his eyelids, on his white colored cheeks. The wound on his forehead was still bleeding, undoubtedly causing some of the visible blood to run down his cheeks, like crimson tears. She quickly pressed her stele to the extensive wound, and it vanished instantly, causing the youthful skin miraculously heal itself. She subtly shifted his head so that it rested comfortably on her shoulder, so that she could prevent any more water from voluntarily entering his mouth or nose. His hair felt soft against her skin, as she swam towards the beach in the distance.

The storm had finally quieted down, as she intentionally let the continuous waves conveniently carry them to shore. They finally at last reached the shallow waters, just as the glorious sun was gently rising. Utilizing all of her strength, Clary pulled Jace from the water. The successful effort voluntarily left her nearly breathless. She collapsed on his chest, gasping before pulling her body out of the water and onto land. Clary breathed in huge amount of air, her small lithe body shivering from the frigid water. Sometimes the ocean a odd way of seriously freezing her to death. She turned to look at Jace, who wasn't moving at all. Gently pressing her head against his chest, she listened carefully for a erratic heartbeat but there wasn't one.

Clary swiftly shifted him over on his side, using the back of her hand, she pounded his back with her fist. Jace sputtered a little. Even trying on his own, he didn't seem to be capable of inhaling. She bent over and covered his mouth with hers. She breathed gently in air through his mouth and nose, as his chest rose twice. He suddenly heaved up a ton of water, and she gently rolled him back onto his side. "There hack it all up," she said earnestly, undoubtedly continuing to pound at his back, until he no longer was spewing any water or foam. The distinct color in his cheeks was naturally starting to return and looked better.

Those green eyes still refused to vanish out of his conscious mind, burnt behind his eyelids so he saw them every time he so much as blinked. Her voice was unlike anything he'd ever heard. His heart skipped a beat as he had gradually opened his eyes and breathed in the salty fresh air, enabling it fill his lungs. His vision had slowly came into focus, bringing hin face to face with her for the first time out of the darkness. His golden eyes had met a pair of green eyes. It was a beautiful melody, from which poured from her full pink lips as her emerald eyes stared down into his with a blush across her cheeks.

She didn't expect to him to stir. She almost certainly didn't expect him to awake so fast that he was now sitting up in the sand. "Clary? Y-You undoubtedly saved me," he finally managed to sputter, the mere ability to speak candidly for the first time seemed to escape him for a few meaningful minutes, given the genuine surprise and opening his eyes to see her more clearly.

"Yes, I did," she said, nodding her head in direct response, while biting the lower part of her lip in nervousness. "Jace, I want more than anything to stay, but I can't. It's positively forbidden."

"What do you mean forbidden? Jace asked, confused. She could hear the ocean's song calling to her to come home. Calling for her to return. She didn't say anything, and quickly made a dash for the shallow water, but accidentally banged their bruised foreheads together. Her head hit the wet sand and the cool water dreadfully shocked her after being out of the ocean so long. Dazed and confused, she wasn't able to recover fast enough. The impact of the blow caused her feel slightly disorientated.

As she regained her focus, she suddenly made a dash for the water moving as fast as her body could carry her. The shallow waters were dark and deep enough to hide her tail from Jace's view, as the waves moved, lapping gently around her skin when a hand reached out, halting her completely in her tracks. Glancing behind her, she saw that Jace was now sitting up on his own, his fingers gripped her arm.

He looked from her face, and then back down to her waist. His head throbbed with a huge headache, while his throat burned from being in the ocean for so long. But he honestly wasn't entirely sure at how what he was now seeing was even entirely real. His eyes drank her in; her long, dark red hair cascaded down her shoulders in ringlets, her eyes were hidden behind long dark lashes, her lips were full, and her body was slender and petite although with hour-glass curves. What surprised him most was that her body ended in that of a green fish tail.

"You...You're a mermaid..."Jace said in disbelief. She didn't say anything else to him before she slowly started to back away but he reached out and grabbed her by her wrist, tugging frantically her back to him. The moment their skin made contact it was like an electric current had suddenly passed through them.

Humans she now knew were very determined and resilient. Jace watched as Clary looked at him with wide, afraid eyes.

From the first moment he'd woken up, he only heard the sound of someone singing. The voice was so beautiful, unlike any that he'd ever heard before in his whole life. He'd heard singing while in town, at many of the festivals and balls, from the palace staff and his own siblings, and various entertainments. But none of it compared to what he heard in that moment on the beach.

Clary, nonetheless, hadn't uttered a word.

"You...you saved me. Last night, I remember meeting you and your friends on the ship. Right after the party. I'm terribly sorry to have frightened you."

"It's all right, you don't have to apologize. I really should be going. I'll be in serious trouble," she said, before moving towards the water. Jace's hands wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her back.

"Please, let me go," she said.

"Trouble? Why would you get in trouble?" he asked.

"Because I saved you," she said, stating the obvious.

"Why in the world would you get in trouble for doing something like that?" Jace said, kneeling beside her in the water. He didn't loosen his grip on her, mostly afraid that she would swim off again.

"Because it's forbidden. Letting humans even see us is forbidden. If my Father ever found out about this..."she stopped mid-sentence.

"My siblings and I didn't even know mermaids, or mermen were real. We always believed them to be just a myth."

"Honestly, that's how supposed to be. I really should be going."

"If it's forbidden like you said, then why did you save me?" he said.

Right at that moment, Clary was starting to panic. This was exactly what her father and everyone else had warned her about. She sighed, before finally deciding to answer him. His question took her by surprise.

"Because you would've died if I hadn't. You helped to save all of your family and friends. Jace, I couldn't just allow you to die. It wasn't the right thing to do, and because...I honestly couldn't bear to be without you."

Jace's hand which had been gripping her waist so tightly moved to cup her face. She instantly froze at his touch and couldn't believe that he was touching her in a such gentle and caring way. "Clary I feel the same way. You're too important for me to let go now. Thank you for saving me. Don't you see what I'm intentionally trying to say? You saved me from a watery death, and if it weren't you, I wouldn't be here right now, talking to you. And we never would have met."

"You're right about that. We never would have crossed paths at all or met," she replied thoughtfully. His golden eyes continued to stare into her green one's, becoming instantly lost in them. His eyes started to close as did hers, as they leaned earnestly towards each other, as his eager lips adequately met her's. Jace gently pulled her closer, as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Just like the last time it was gentle and sweet, as their arms wrapped around each other, her fingers quickly thrusting and embedding themselves in his blonde hair. Her arms flung themselves around his neck, while his gentle fingers carefully traced the lower part of her back. His hands ran up and down her sides, over her back and her tail, pausing for a moment for lift her up from the water and onto the dry land. His hands moved to either sides of her tail, his fingertips brushing over her smooth scales.

Jace's hands gripped her head so that she wouldn't move away, grinding into her, and then moved his hands so that they rested underneath her tail, pulling her into his lap, nearly almost accidentally slamming the mermaid right into his chest. Clary broke the kiss, throwing her head back while her eyes closed, letting out a gasp before his lips discovered her's again. He never wanted to let this woman go. As his tongue explored her mouth she moaned against his lips and the vibrations echoed throughout his chest and to his groin. They broke apart for air a few seconds later as Jace planted hot kisses along her neck, traveling down towards her collarbone. His warm breath came out in pants, fanning her once cold skin.

His fingers moved slowly up and down her body, the tips brushing over her backside, massaging her hips, and guiding up to rest themselves on her waist. She kissed him again, before moving her long red hair aside pushing it over her shoulder. It was now dry. She wore a pretty dark green brassiere, which had pearls attached to the front, along with clam-shells and various other small pearls decorating the top, while strands of pearls attached to the bottom, overlapping each other.

It felt so right. The two of the each truly felt as if they finally found the other's half, while they continued to kiss. Jace broke the kiss for some much needed air as the two of them panted, trying to catch their breath. He smiled at Clary, who stared up at him with a sweet smile on her face. He smiled back, totally convinced he'd finally at last found the one he was meant to be with and she felt the same exact way.

"Wow," Clary said, as the two of them regained their composure.

"Yeah wow," Jace replied, his voice echoing the same feelings as her.

"Jace?" she asked.

"Yes beautiful?" he said, gently placing his hand upon her cheek, cupping it in one hand.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," she said.

Jace smiled before leaning and kissing her again. "And I you."

"But we just met. Isn't this wrong?" she wondered.

"No. You ever heard of love at first sight Clary?" Jace said, pulling her in for another kiss.

"Yes, but I thought it only existed in fairy tales and not in real life."

He shrugged, "Apparently it does exist for some people. Listen I wanted to ask you something. Will you be my girlfriend? I know this sounds a little forward, but I really like you a lot, and I care about you so much."

She smiled, "Of course, I would love to be your girlfriend."

A huge smile formed on his face, before he kissed her again. "You just made me the happiest guy alive."

Clary laughed, "Good, I'm glad. Because I have no intention of letting you get away."

He grinned, "Right back at ya."


	6. Chapter Five

**Authoress Notes:** Hi guys, I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter. My computer decided to bite the dust a couple weeks ago, and I finally got a new one. Between my busy as hell work schedule, I haven't had time to really write anything and this chapter was sitting in my document folders forever. But I'm back and I've got tons of time to update more often. Thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews.

 **Disclaimer: We Don't Own Anything.**

"I honestly think we shouldn't tell Luke, Jocelyn or anyone about this."

The bright, warm sunlight shone through once dark ominous clouds which had vanished instantly from the now azure sky. They instantly broke apart, dissipating into the distance. A cool gentle breeze now caressed Clary's luminous skin; she was lying in the shallow waters, her tail resting in the serene oasis of a palm tree. Her green eyes wandered down the beach where Jace sat on a overhanging rock, his eyes carefully closed as he soaked in the direct sunlight. To her, he was in striking contrast a breathtaking sight as he basked in its warming gentle golden rays, as he cracked open an eye and winked knowingly at her. Clary's heart skipped a beat as her eyes stayed locked with his.

Her best friends comfortably sat just a few feet away from them. Simon was flopped down on the soft sand, onto his back, his long fingers gently touching the smooth sand which felt nice to the touch, and also running through his fingers. He proceeded leisurely to carefully construct a miniature sand castle. Magnus was attentively watching the water his back merely turned. Selene lay in the sand as well on her back, intentionally allowing it run through her dainty fingers. She slowly sat up, her elbows resting in the water before turning back to look steadfastly at the ocean.

The sun had risen higher in the sky; her blue eyes widened as she hastily propelled her body back into the dark crystal waters turning towards her sister a sly grin upon the brunettes radiant face. It was probably most likely mid-morning by now, and she knew precisely that they all genuinely needed to be heading back soon.

"I'm getting sunburned out here, and it's past sunrise so I better be heading back home. Have fun you lovebirds!"she said. Clary and Jace looked at each other, their faces were right now each a brilliant shade of crimson red. There was precisely and absolutely no denying the growing feelings between them. Selene carefully raised her arms above her head, dove into the crystal waters and vanished from sight. Simon was too absorbed in shaping the glittering sand that he failed adequately to carefully note the time as well, as so did Magnus.

"We'd best be getting back as well, before my mom has a cow," he said solemnly, suddenly pushing himself back into the water.

Magnus laughed."Yeah, no offense but she is known precisely for overreacting sometimes," he replied eagerly, typically doing the identical exact thing.

"C'mon Clare, we best be heading home."

They both turned to Clary who nodded as she quickly swam back into the deeper water, pushing herself farther out to sea. She wasn't too far from where Jace sat comfortably.

"I'll catch up in a minute," she said politely to them.

"Okay, we'll be waiting by those rocks."

"Just don't be too long biscuit." He and Simon swam across the shallow waters, behind the rocks and stayed out of sight so that no one would see them.

The mermaid looked back at Jace again but this time her radiant gaze was marked with great worry. He somehow sensed it and held out his hand to her, as she swam towards him, stopping at the edge of the rock, while one gentle hand rested comfortably upon the smooth surface, the other intimately intertwined with Jace's.

"Clary why does your father not allow humans to know of your existence? I really don't understand where the hatred of our worlds comes from. I know you mentioned he despises us greatly. But we've done nothing wrong. That I'm sure of," he said.

She sighed as he gently took her into his arms, gently depositing her on his lap. Her tail hung over the side gently resting upon the ground. His head rested against her neck as he breathed in her scent. The green scales on her tail sparkled in the early morning sunlight.

"I honestly don't know either. He's never mentioned it, that one specific reason why he hates people like you so much. It never really comes up. I don't understand why both worlds can't exist simultaneously either."

He chuckled,"I naturally wonder what your father would think about of all this."

Clary pulled back to look steadfastly at him, cautiously raising a quizzical eyebrow at his words. Her expression was a unique mix of unimaginable horror and shock, as she finally opened her mouth to speak candidly.

"You mean of us being together? For one, I know he wouldn't be ecstatic I rescued you from drowning. And if he somehow were to find out, he would absolutely have my head," she said, before turning back to look at the ocean.

"I better be getting home. My family is going to start worrying about where my friends and I have been."

She knew her father was known for literally jumping the gun if they didn't return after the allowed time set. Just at that thought being away or torn apart from Jace was even more difficult for the princess to stomach. He felt the same exact way, somehow not being with her was undoubtedly causing him alot of anguish. That had been before an idea popped into Jace's head and he almost nearly smacked himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"How about if you and your friends came back later on tonight? Alec, Izzy, and I could meet you by those rocks over there."

Clary's expression instantly lit up, "Yes, and we could keep our meetings a secret so that my father doesn't find out."

Jace grinned, his golden eyes brightened, "That sounds wonderful. Just promise me you won't get caught," he said touching the side of her face. She had smiled before they exchanged another kiss.

"I'll see you soon Jace," she promised.

"And not a second later," he replied, kissing her forehead before she let go of his hand and quickly slid from the rock and into the water. Just as she was about to swim out further, a very loud sound began echoing through the air. Roof! Roof! The sound echoed off the massive cliffs which surrounded the beach. Clary immediately swam away, startled going out further into the deeper water. The sounds had got closer and closer before she waved once and disappeared below the waves.

Jace let the smile still linger on his face. Clary. Her name, hair, lips and everything else about her were beautiful. The way she smiled at him. He was on cloud nine, walking on eggshells. As one would expect, he was in that moment awestruck at everything in which had happened in the last few hours.

"JACE!" a chorus of familiar voices called, immediately snapping the prince out of his thoughts. He turned around to see his siblings Alec, Izzy, Max, and of course Hodge, Axel, and his two rottweilers running towards them along with Jordan and Maia. "You're all right!" his best friend said. Just before he could react, the blonde found himself being hugged tightly by his brother Tears of joy were streaming down his, Izzy's and Max's faces. His sister joined in on the hug as well and so did his younger brother.

"A-Alec, I-zzy, Max it's good to see you too," he managed to get out, as his siblings squeezed the hell out of him.

"We honestly thought we lost you forever!" his sister cried.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again?" Alec sputtered.

"Yeah, you almost gave Mom and Dad a heart attack, whatever that means," Max replied.

Hodge laughed, "You nearly gave me one too, I'm so happy you're okay," he said, hugging the blonde.

Jordan just smiled, "I'm really happy you guys are all in one piece," he said.

"Me too, we were worried about you all. I'm so glad to see your all right."Maia and her boyfriend were really happy to see that them all unharmed and safe.

Axel smiled as well, "I'm so relieved to see you're all safe as well. So Jace, tell me, how exactly did you survive that awful horrible storm?"he asked. He was quite curious in fact to know the exact details of what exactly happened to the young prince. The Lightwood's royal adviser had always been a very curious individual when it came to matters such as these.

He waited excitedly for the prince's answer. But Jace didn't answer him right away. Inside he was pondering on whether or not to tell the old man everything which had happened. But in this case he didn't want to risk Clary, Simon, and Magnus's secret. Neither did Alec or Izzy. His brother and sister looked at him unsure of what to do. They didn't exactly want to share the details of meeting them either. Maybe it was for the best that those specific's remained a mystery, only to be known by them.

"I was knocked out by a huge chunk of the mast, which caused me to lose consciousness for a brief moment. But I was able to regain my focus and swam with all of my might to shore. I basically let it carry me the whole way back," he said.

Alec nodded, "Yeah I witnessed the whole thing. The lightning hit it pretty hard which caused it to come loose and it practically broke snapping it in half. I was nearly almost hit as well."

"Yes and the explosion was to blame too. And because were fireworks on board that didn't quite mix well," Izzy added.

"Ah I see exactly what you all mean. Well, shall we get going back to the castle?"

"You four really delight in putting these sadistic little strains on my poor blood pressure don't you?" Hodge chuckled heartily. He was of course kidding in that sense of the manner. They all knew this. Their mentor had a knack for joking around in these particular types of situations.

Alec and Izzy helped their brother who stumbled on the beach, by lifting his arms over their shoulders and began walking back to the palace. They all were extremely exhausted and tired from the events in which had occurred the night before. Axel quickly looked behind them at the ocean and beach one last time for perhaps a slight hint of what might have happened the previous night before. But there wasn't a single trace of any clues or nothing or anything. He scowled turned on his heel and left, huffing in his wake.

Meanwhile on the contrary, Clary, Simon, and Magnus weren't exactly too far away. The three of them were hiding behind a bunch of rocks just off the shoreline. Clary's fingers gripped the edges of the smooth boulder as they watched Jace, Alec, and Izzy walking off into the distance.

Profound sorrow instantly filled the redheads heart, seeing him leave for her was unimaginably hard. Clary wanted nothing more than to be close to Jace. Biting the bottom part of her lip, she could feel the huge ache which had promptly begun to form. Simon, of course, was also beginning to feel the separation anxiety mostly from being away from Izzy. Magnus too could feel it too, but he remained silent on the matter.

"Clary! Simon! Magnus!" a chorus of voices called out to them. The three friends turned to see Jonathan, Sebastian, and Selene swimming towards them. The bright sunlight shone upon her sister's dark brown hair, as she gilded through the water with Jonathan and Sebastian following close behind the mermaid. She quickly placed her arms up on the rock as the two mermen caught up with her.

"There you three are! We've been looking all over for you," she said.

"I'm so just glad you're all right!" Jonathan replied, grabbing his baby sister in a bone crushing hug.

Clary laughed, "We're all right Jon," she said, hugging him back before he released her and did the same thing to Simon and Magnus.

"Yeah dude, Clare, Magnus and I are just fine," Simon replied, returning the embrace as well.

"We survived the storm as you can see," Magnus added hugging his friend too.

"To be honest, ever since that monster storm came out of nowhere and caused all that chaos, we thought you were lost," Jonathan said.

"At least we know you all made it out alive and well. I'm sure the king and queen will be delighted to hear that we found you all safely," Sebastian said.

"Yes we know that. Clary, since we found you guys, it's time for us to go home," Jonathan said.

"Can we just make sure they're all safe?" she asked.

"Okay fine, but we stay hidden," he said.

As soon as the humans were out of sight and out of their hearing range, Sebastian turned towards the princess and her friends. His dark eyes full of anger. To just, to say that he was merely shocked would've been just a mere understatement.

"What in the seven hells do you three think you're doing?" he shouted at them. "Especially you Clary, saving a human. You three know contact with the human world is forbidden! What if those friends of theirs and that other guy saw us? We all could've been instantly skewered with a knife, harpoon, or any other kind of weapons those dreadful things allegedly have, and made into shish-kabobs!" he seethed.

His words instantly fell on deaf ears, for Clary, Simon, or Magnus didn't seem to be listening or even cared about anything Sebastian said. In fact they honestly could careless about what the merman stated or thought at the moment. The thoughtful look plastered across Simon's and Magnus's face spoke for themselves. Clary placed her arms upon the polished rock. Her green eyes seemed very far away, off in some sort of imaginary dreamland or a trance. Her fingertips traced the stone patterns etched upon its pale gray surface. Her green eyes glowed happily. Simon and Magnus were right next to her, each of their green, hazel, and brown eyes alight with a happiness that Sebastian could never understand.

"Will you please shut up? As you can see Sebastian, we're just fine. So would you please calm the hell down!" Clary finally said.

"Yes someone at last said it!" Simon said.

"Praise the Angel," Magnus added.

Sebastian's dark eyebrows furrowed together, for he absolutely despised and hated being ignored. "Well they're in good hands now, so you can stop worrying about them." he said to them calmly.

"I say we all head home. It's been one heck of a day," Jonathan said.

"Yeah I'm totally exhausted," Simon yawned.

"I am too. I could use my beauty sleep after everything that's happened," Magnus added.

"Same here, I'm drained," Selene said.

Clary nodded, "I am as well. I'm definitely going to sleep when I get back home." In her heart, she didn't want to leave Jace, but she knew that they would see each other again. They all began swimming towards the deeper part of the water, over her shoulder she took one last look at the castle which stood before her. It slowly began to fade from her view. Her green eyes prickled with tears, just the mere thought of leaving Jace and his siblings made her heart nearly almost break. But her parents were expecting them all. The trio dove back into the water and headed back home.


End file.
